Strictly Professional
by TheBadIdeaBears
Summary: Katsuki signs up to a special pro hero season of Strictly Come Dancing. Between the scores, the judges and learning to dance, he's about to embark on the ride of his life, and that's saying nothing of his partner, Ochako.
1. Chapter 1

The studio lights feel like they're practically burning through the sheer shirt Katsuki is wearing. Sure, he's used to heat, but right now he feels like a potato baking in an oven (a feeling that would only be exacerbated if the Wardrobe department had put him in silver lamé like they did Tenya). It's likely that it's partly due to nerves—not that he'd ever admit that—but he's also questioning his decision to sign up for this madness. At the time, it seemed like a bit of fun (if not the greatest idea in the world) but since then he's experienced some modicum of what to expect and the sheer volume of sequins alone was enough to give him pause. Now is not the best time to get cold feet however, given that he's about to find out who his dance partner will be for the duration of the show.

From the gaggle of female pro dancers in front of him, Katsuki isn't sure who he would prefer to dance with. After the launch show (itself a flurry of sequins and internal screaming that he didn't really pick up much from), they had some group training, but he struggled to keep everyone's names straight in his head. Thankfully, with this being a special pro hero series of Strictly Come Dancing, he does recognise most of his fellow contestants; some are even his old classmates from UA. As well as Tenya, he's seen Tsuyu, Fumikage, that blond guy from the B class whose name he purposefully never learned, and Hadou from one of the older classes. As well as that, Recovery Girl is taking part; most of Katsuki's memories of her involve Izuku getting patched up after various stupid things he or they did, so he doesn't blame her for having given him something of a wary look as they started the boot camp training.

As it is, the only pro dancer whose name he can remember is Eijirou, a guy with bright red hair who came over to him during a break to say he admired how 'cool' and 'manly' Katsuki was. Though it wasn't the kind of compliment he was used to, Katsuki appreciated Eijirou's straightforward attitude and made a conscious effort to remember his name. The rest of the pro dancers are a mass of zippy, long limbed creatures—a herd of excited gazelles; of the female dancers, Katsuki is aware that the pink haired, pink skinned woman is the current reigning champion, having won with her partner last year, but the rest he struggles with.

"So, Katsuki..."

The sound of his name snaps Katsuki back into the present. Beside him, the blonde presenter, Tess, is grinning widely at him and gesturing to the ladies in front of them both. He gives her what he hopes is a polite smile.

"Which of our gorgeous professionals are you hoping to dance with?"

Katsuki fixes his smile, trying to hide his minor internal panic by looking up and down the row of women. He suspects replying 'whichever one can help me win' won't go down well (and he's already been in trouble for swearing during boot camp). What would Izuku say? He's been annoyingly good at talking to people for a long time...

"I couldn't possibly choose," he says instead, as smoothly as he can and acutely aware of the cameras around them. "They're all great dancers and I'll be lucky to dance with any of them."

A few whoops go up in the audience and Tess shoots an impressed look at the dancers, a couple of whom giggle.

"Such a gentleman," she comments, putting one hand on his shoulder. "Let's find out who'll be your partner!"

An excited hush falls over the studio, underneath which the band rolls and low drum roll, and Katsuki bites his tongue on an impatient comment. Soon—probably sooner than he thinks but still an irritatingly long time later—the lights come up and the band plays as Tess announces a name:

"Ochako!"

Katsuki keeps his smile in place as one of the dancers twirls towards him, seemingly lighter than air. As she reaches him, she moves her hands and returns to the ground; in an instant he remembers one of the women having some kind of gravity quirk. She comes to a stop in front of him, looking up at him with a bright smile. Her face is soft and rosy cheeked, framed by brown hair that stops a little above her shoulders—she's pretty in a homey sort of way, but part of Katsuki wonders how quickly he'll get sick of her being so happy.

* * *

When Katsuki arrives at the dance studio for the first day of rehearsals, he finds Ochako already there, warming up to an upbeat piece of music. Her hair is pulled back off her face, itself devoid of the make up they usually put on her for the shows and far rounder than Katsuki noticed before. As she sees him come in, she grins and turns off the music, coming over to him.

"Morning!" she says, her tone chirpy as she picks up a water bottle. A small crew is already filming this first part of their first rehearsal together; Katsuki gives him a little glance before nodding to her.

"Hey," he says, putting down his bag and shrugging off his hoodie. He glances again at the crew—how long are they planning to stay here? "Where do we start?"

Ochako chuckles. "You're very straight to the point aren't you?" Her accent is strange: definitely English but with a slight twinge of something else, and she doesn't look much like the general population here.

Katsuki shrugs. "I kind of have to be in my line of work."

"Fair enough." Taking a mouthful of water, she steps back into the centre of the room and waves a hand for him to follow. "Let's start with a warm up then, get you ready for the rest."

"I jogged here."

"So did I—we're going to work different muscles. Just to warn you, it might hurt just a little."

Katsuki can't keep from raising an eyebrow at her: seriously, doesn't she realise who she's talking to? "I'm sure I can handle a little bit of dancing."

Ochako pauses, narrowing her eyes a little. "Oh you have no idea."

* * *

A short while later, Katsuki sinks down into a chair with an exhausted sigh and picks up his water bottle to guzzle from it. Ochako follows, taking a drink from her own bottle.

"So what do you this of this 'little bit of dancing'?" she asks.

"Holy shit!" pants Katsuki.

"Cut," grumbles the guy with the camera. "Katsuki we've been over this."

Katsuki rolls his eyes—though to be fair this is the third time this has happened in less than an hour. "Yeah yeah, don't swear on camera, it's a family show, whatever." He sips his water some more and the camera guy sighs, saying something about editing it out as Ochako folds her arms. "What?"

"You know you can't do that," she says. "If you do it too much the footage is unusable and we'll be in trouble with the producers."

"Do I give a shit?" asks Katsuki. "I'm here to dance, not please some dicks in suits."

Ochako rolls her eyes. "Play nice Katsuki, it's not in my responsibilities to babysit you."

Katsuki scoffs. "Then don't act like it is."

He can feel her glaring at him, even before he looks up and she arches an eyebrow at him.

"Break time's over," she says, her tone clipped as she stalks back to the centre of the room. "I'm sure you'll pick up on the choreography fine, seeing as you clearly know everything already."

Katsuki's legs protest as he stands and follows her, but he refuses to back down and admit any kind of defeat. How hard can it really be?

* * *

By the end of the first week, Katsuki can barely keep all the different kinds of steps in his head. He's been practising the basics almost non-stop, despite him asking Ochako if they can move on to something more interesting. Ochako's attitude was sweet when they first met but since their first training session she's been less so—now she greets him with a small smile each day before proceeding to work him hard. As much as Katsuki was sceptical at first he has to privately admit that between his usual gym time and the dance training he's been sleeping a lot more heavily at night and his body is feeling the extra exercise. Thankfully, she works just as hard, also training with Eijirou outside of their rehearsals as he is her professional partner.

Katsuki has also discovered just how much he hates twee little scripted bits for the cameras. On the third day of rehearsals, a producer tried to get him to film some kind of weird thing for the interstitials or adverts or... well, something, only to tell him repeatedly that he wasn't doing it cheerily enough. After more than twenty takes, of which not a single one seemed to meet the crew's lofty standards, Katsuki left, telling them he wanted to get back to training and to just use what he'd given them. The next day, his agent called him to give him a stern talking to, and all Katsuki could agree to was his idea of the producers giving him a slightly 'surly' persona for the publicity side of things. He doesn't really care—isn't this show supposed to be about dancing anyway?

The following week they finally move on to the samba routine and Katsuki finds another thing he hates: samba rolls.

"This is literally fucking impossible," he groans after his third failed attempt at them as part of the routine. "How is a human being supposed to move their spine like this?"

With a frustrated sigh, Ochako turns off the music. "Let's do them slowly again then."

"We've done them slowly," he grumbles. "I can do them slowly—I need to do them fast."

"Then you need to practise," she says simply, getting into position for a few bars before the samba rolls. "Arms up." After a further moment of reluctance, Katsuki sighs and gets into position too, lifting his arms. Ochako gives him a small nod and the tiniest hint of a smile. "Two, three, four..."

They run the steps slowly, to her count: Katsuki does his side steps and ball changes before coming up behind Ochako and pulling her to him, rolling their bodies and turning them on the spot. They're joined from chest to hips and the movement is practised—he can feel the flow of it through his whole body at this speed.

"Yeah, perfect," says Ochako as they part again. "We'll go again a little faster; just do that again."

They go three more times, each time getting a little faster, eventually to the tempo of the music. Ochako's smiles grow wider and more encouraging: by the time they run it with the music she's almost grinning.

"Just like that," she nods as they reach the end of the choreography that he's learned so far. "Make sure you watch the placement of your left foot coming out of it or you'll be moving your ankle badly on your next turn."

"Okay," Katsuki agrees. There's a strange thrill inside him that he can't quite place or express—he takes a gulp of water instead, thinking that a smile suits her face better than a frown.

* * *

On the night of their first performance, Katsuki can't stop fiddling with the neckline—if it can charitably be called one—of the shirt he's wearing. Even though he told the people in Wardrobe that he didn't want to look ridiculous, they've given him a bright pink shirt with artfully placed rhinestones on it that is open practically to his navel and feels like it barely grazes both nipples. He's not precious about his body and knows the abs visible in the plunging V will have been thought about tactically by some producer or another, but he feels strangely exposed, especially when people he passes (crew, dancers, even other pro heroes) wolf whistle at him, and his usual glares don't seem to be doing much to dissuade them. All he can do, it seems, is try to keep relatively out of sight of the cameras, putting others in front of him wherever he can.

The takes forever. It stands to reason, given the number of couples dancing, but the wait is still frustrating and Katsuki just wants to get their samba over and done with. While they all watch Recovery Girl perform a foxtrot with her partner, a strange small man with purple balls for hair by the name of Minoru, he feels a pinch to the back of his arm and starts.

"Hey!"

"Ssh," says Ochako from by his shoulder. She leans against the balcony beside him to watch the foxtrot, the rhinestones on her dress (pink to match his hideous shirt) glinting in the light. "Stop fidgeting—you're not going to make any of this go any faster."

Katsuki throws her a look, huffing. "I'm not fidgeting."

"You are," she replies. "You keep tapping your foot and playing with your shirt."

Suddenly aware of the tapping of his foot and the fact that his fingers are indeed still in the neckline of his shirt, Katsuki stands still, dropping his hands.

"Just calm down," she continues. "I know waiting sucks but this is better than going early and waiting afterwards, trust me, and there'll be less waiting as time goes on and we lose competitors."

Katsuki arches one brow at her. "You think we'll last?"

Ochako looks up at him, a gleam in her eye. "I fully intend us to."

"And if I don't care?" he asks.

Recovery Girl's dance comes to an end and everyone breaks into applause. As Katsuki and Ochako clap too, she turns back to him with a sly smile.

"You do—or at least you will," she says; her tone is certain and Katsuki feels a strange, inexplicable impulse to take a step back. "You wouldn't enter any kind of competition with no intention of winning."

Katsuki frowns. "You sound very sure about that."

Ochako stands up straight, folding her arms. "I've been doing this show for a while," she says, "and I don't like disappointment, so when I get a new partner I find interviews and articles about them so I can get a measure of their potential."

"Oh." Katsuki blinks, unsure how to respond. "What did you find out?"

"You're competitive," she says. "You ranked high at school, in your hero classes and academically. You've been described as hot headed and kind of rude by some people but your friends say you're incredibly loyal and determined. Pro hero Deku sings your praises pretty regularly."

"Right..."

"So I think we can last if you put your mind to it," she continues, "because I hate losing as much as you do."

"Ochako, Katsuki?" They both turn to see a crew member with a clipboard. "You'll be on after the next couple," he explains. "We need to get you on your marks."

The two of them follow him to the pre dance holding area off to one side, Katsuki's mind racing at Ochako's words. She's been reading up on him?

"So you're saying you know me based on some interviews?" he asks as they start the next (blissfully shorter) bout of waiting.

"Interviews and social media feeds—I know where to look," she says. "I know enough to know we can win this. You're in, right?"

A grin spreads across Katsuki's face. "Fuck yeah."

* * *

As they come to the end of their dance, Katsuki is panting and he can see Ochako doing the same. She slips an arm around his waist as they go to get their feedback from the judges and after a moment's hesitation he lets his arm come to rest across her shoulders. Tess is standing nearby, leading the audience applause and grinning at them.

"Wow, what a samba!" she says as they come to stand beside her. "How are you feeling?"

Katsuki remembers Ochako telling him repeatedly not to swear on the live shows and bites back what he would have said, feeling her hand at his waist tense up. Instead, he shrugs. "Yeah, not bad."

The audience chuckles along with Tess and he feels Ochako sigh in relief.

"Well, not bad is good," says Tess. "Let's find out what the judges thought—Bruno?"

The guy on the far right end of the judges' table gives Katsuki a strangely predatory look. "Well the samba was hot hot hot!" he declares, waving his hands along with his voice. "You had all the goods to deliver and you attacked it well but..." He grimaces at them. "Why did you make this face all the way through?"

The audience laughs, the two women on the panel hiding their own laughs with downward glances and hands over their mouths. Katsuki, however, frowns.

"I didn't."

Ochako pinches him in the side and he stiffens, stifling an indignant squeak and Bruno gives him an odd little smile.

"Watch the footage back and you'll see it," he says. "But other than that you gave a decent first week samba."

They move to the man on the opposite end of the panel, Craig, who fixes Katsuki with an unimpressed stare. "Your timing was off, you missed steps going into your first turn and your samba rolls were messy and lazy," he says to a chorus of boos from the audience. "Really darling, your face was the least of your worries."

As Katsuki opens his mouth to argue back, Ochako squeezes his side again and he pauses long enough for Tess to jump in.

"Nothing nice to say then Craig?"

Craig shrugs. "You look the part I suppose."

Tess swiftly moves on to Darcey, who gives Katsuki a smile.

"As Craig said, you absolutely look the part," she says. "There were some timing issues—I think perhaps you got a little frantic in parts, but overall I think you held your own. Maybe just watch the face next time?"

When they get to the final (and head) judge Shirley, she gives Katsuki an appraising look.

"Well, as the others have said, you did have some... facial issues." The audience titters once again. "And no, your timing wasn't fantastic all the way through but really well done on your commitment to the dance."

The audience applauds and soon Katsuki finds himself upstairs in the green room to talk to Claudia, the other presenter.

"So Katsuki what do you make of those comments?" she asks.

"Uh..." He searches for the words for a moment before frowning. "Why were they all so weird about my face?"

The other dancers and pro heroes all laugh along with Claudia; Katsuki starts to wonder if they're all sharing some elaborate private joke at his expense.

"A face only a mother could love perhaps?" says Claudia, raising more giggles and reminding Katsuki forcibly of President Mic's commentary during his first year sports festival.

"Nah, she doesn't love me," he says, quick as a flash.

The laughter around him turns confused—clearly no one knows quite how to react to his words. Beside him, Ochako puts one hand over her face as Claudia puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Well we're all very fond of your face," she says. "Let's see the scores!"

Ochako nudges Katsuki in the ribs with one elbow, pointing to the monitor where the judges' scores start to display: 4, 5, 5, 5—a total of 19. It's not the worst score of the night and places them about a third of the way up from the bottom.

"Now to wait out the rest of the dances," says Ochako when they're allowed to leave the green room. "I reckon we'll stay out of the dance off with that but you never know. Thank you for not swearing."

"Real fucking close," he grumbles. "What was wrong with my face?"

Ochako opens her mouth but pauses before saying, "Please watch the footage back before our next rehearsal."

* * *

After the phone lines have opened for the audience to vote at home, the dancers and contestants get some time to themselves and Katsuki checks his phone to see a missed call from his mother. With a frown of confusion and slight concern, he calls her back. He knows she's in Milan right now for work and wouldn't call him unless she deemed it important.

As soon as the call connects his mother's voice screeches through the phone. "KATSUKI BAKUGOU!"

Katsuki scowls, holding the phone away from his ear. "What?! Why am I being screamed at?!"

"How _dare_ you declare on international television that I don't love you!"

Rolling his eyes, Katsuki growls. "Fuck's sake ma, it was a joke."

"You ungrateful little _turd_!" she continues. "Of _course_ I fucking love you!"

"I know that!" Katsuki says—why in the fuck is he having this conversation?!

In the background of the call, Katsuki hears his father's tired voice: "Mitsuki sweetie, isn't it rather too late for this?"

"Shut it," she snaps. "Katsuki why are you like this?"

"You heard them!" he says incredulously. "They were making fun of my face!"

"Of course they were making fun of your face," she replies. "You're ugly!"

"I look like _you_, you old hag!"

Katsuki hears his mother let out an indignant sound before his father comes on the line.

"Well done on your first dance son," he says. "I'm sorry they laughed at your face. Your mother and I are going to go to bed now but hope you don't end up in the dance off. Good night."

Katsuki sighs. "Night dad."

* * *

Later that night, with six couples saved, Katsuki starts to worry. What if Craig is right and his samba rolls are too far gone to be any good in a dance off?

"And the next couple through to week two is..."

Maybe he should have practised more, pulled more hours in the studio or asked Ochako to go over the basics one more time?

"Katsuki and Ochako!"

Well, thank fuck for that.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning after the show, Katsuki is slow to wake, his body feeling heavy and lethargic after a full week of dance training and a late night last night. He recalls it now: their samba, the other dances, avoiding the dance off... Until the moment itself, Katsuki hadn't realised how nervous he'd be about it, but he's more than grateful not to have had to do it in the first week.

The bedroom in the place he's rented for the duration of the show feels oddly quiet after the frantic, constant noise of the last month and he lies still, enjoying the silence before a thought crosses his mind and he retrieves his phone. Ignoring the slew of messages and notifications for now—he'll clear those later—he opens the internet and searches 'Ochako Uraraka dancer'. Their conversation before their dance last night has been playing on his mind and something about it (maybe, probably, the thought of her knowing more about him than he knows about her) makes him want to even the score. The first few articles are about Strictly and their dance; Katsuki ignores them, instead looking for slightly older interviews in the hope of finding something more genuine. After a few minutes of searching he finds something more promising from a couple of years ago and starts reading.

* * *

When he arrives at the dance studio the following morning, Ochako is already there as per usual, going over choreography in front of the wide mirrors. He pauses for a moment to watch her, through the glass of the door: she's light on her feet as always, and he wonders again if she uses her gravity manipulation for dancing or if she just moves like that anyway—after all, he isn't sure how she activates her quirk yet. If Deku were here, he'd have quizzed her about it on day one; even after becoming a pro hero he still loves learning about others' quirks. Recalling the interviews he read the previous morning, he finally pushes open the door to head into the studio proper and Ochako turns to look at him.

"Morning," she says—she's figured him out better by now and her tone is much more relaxed, less obnoxiously cheerful. "Ready to get started?"

"Sooner we get started, the sooner I'll know it," he replies, putting down his bag and unzipping his hoodie. "Then we can get it good."

She smiles. "Perfect. Did you watch back the samba like I suggested?"

Katsuki can't suppress a wince. "Yeah."

"And?"

"What was my face doing?" he groans. "Why was it so..."

"Weird?"

"Yeah."

"You just need to relax," she says. "It sounds trite but you should have more confidence in yourself and enjoy it more."

Katsuki frowns to himself—the last thing he expected to be a problem for him was a lack of confidence. They get into the practice for the next dance: a foxtrot. It's totally different from the samba and when Katsuki points this out during a water break, Ochako nods.

"It's a different mood entirely," she agrees. "You won't have an open shirt for this one—"

"Thank you for that," he interjects. "I felt ridiculous."

"You'll get used to it," she laughs. "The reaction online was pretty good."

Katsuki knows it was—his phone has been showing countless notifications regarding his pecs and abs since the launch show, and it's only become more pronounced since Saturday night. Still, he isn't sure how he feels about it.

"So," she says, putting down her water bottle, "shall we get back to it, Mr Pro Hero?"

He doesn't mean to say his next words, but before he can stop himself he asks, "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to be a pro hero?"

Ochako pauses, raising one eyebrow at him. "You found the Marie Claire interview?"

Unable to take back the question—really, there would have been better times to bring it up—Katsuki nods. "I wanted to get a better measure of you, like you did me."

She gazes at him for another long moment before giving him an unexpected smile. "And what did you find out?"

"Uh..." Katsuki's brow furrows as he recalls the details. "You moved here when you were a kid but you started dancing while you were still living in Japan. You partnered up with Eijirou because you had similar experiences, though he was born here. You've won nine UK and four international titles with him..."

"And I once wanted to be a pro hero," she adds.

"Yeah."

"Well done on taking the initiative. None of my other partners have ever done that," she says. "You don't need to look so worried."

"I'm not worried," he says quickly, folding his arms. "I just wondered why you didn't try to become one. It was all I ever wanted to do when I was a kid."

She shrugs, the small movement still oddly graceful. "I had to choose if I was going to go for it and give up dance or not," she explains, "and I loved dancing too much to give it up."

"Fair enough," Katsuki nods, looking her up and down briefly before asking, "So how does your quirk work? Do you use it for your routines?"

Ochako gives him a thoughtful smile. "I can show you."

* * *

Though neither of their quirks would be of any real use in the foxtrot ("and the judges would look down on it so early in the competition anyway," she adds when Katsuki asks), the two of them have some fun playing around with them during practice that day. They figure out quickly that once she gets him into the air, he can guide his direction using the blasts from his palms and Ochako promises that if they make it to the final she'll let him do it in the showdance.

The rest of the week seems to pass strangely—both in the blink of an eye and so slowly that Saturday feels weeks away. Katsuki loses all sense of which day it is until they go for dress rehearsals in the ballroom on Friday.

"The floor here is so much more slippery than the studio," Katsuki complains as they vacate the floor for Gran Torino and Mina (the pink haired reigning pro champion whose name he finally learned). He tugs on his bow tie and Ochako swats the back of his hand. "Hey!"

"Stop fiddling with it," she says sternly. "I'll do worse if you do that tomorrow night."

"Fine," grumbles Katsuki, following her backstage to check how the rehearsal looked with the techies.

Once they finish up there and head off towards the changing rooms, Ochako asks, "How do you feel about the choreography?"

"Yeah, it's fine," he says.

Ochako chuckles. "Smile then," she says. "You know the dance so just chill out."

They come to a stop outside the dressing rooms and she looks up into his face. Before he can react, she reaches up and gently touches one finger between his eyebrows. "Let's leave this expression behind tomorrow, yeah?"

Katsuki blinks, unable to move his legs to step away. "Sure, whatever..."

His gaze returns to her eyes and the two of them stand in the otherwise empty corridor for the longest few seconds of Katsuki's life without moving or speaking again before Ochako drops her hand, looking away and clearing her throat.

"We should both go change," she says, getting a nod in response.

"Yeah, that seems like a good idea..."

Ochako gives him a little smile and slips into the ladies' dressing room while Katsuki heads to the men's.

_What was _that_ about?_

* * *

For the foxtrot performance, the stylists flatten Katsuki's hair into a tragic side parting; looking into the mirror afterwards he finds himself forcibly reminded of his first hero internship during high school with Best Jeanist. Tenya spends several minutes complimenting his hair, the sleeves of his fringed shirt flailing with the mad waving of his arms, and he gets various kind remarks from other pro heroes, dancers and crew on his way to the green room. When he finds Ochako, wearing a long, flowing blue dress, she laughs.

"What?" he asks.

"Your hair," she grins. "You look like you're going to Sunday school."

Katsuki grimaces. "It looks stupid doesn't it?"

She shakes her head, waving one hand. "No, you look dapper—don't worry about it."

"They had to put a lot of gel in it," he admits. "Hairspray too."

"Best not spark up then," she grins. "You're likely rather flammable."

"No change from usual then."

* * *

They wait for less time tonight, being the second couple out on the floor, and the judges' comments are more encouraging than for their samba. Though they still say that Katsuki "carries a lot of tension" in his face and that he needs to get better at leading and (as Darcey confusingly states) "presenting" his partner, they compliment how well he has scrubbed up, and that he seems more comfortable with Ochako this week. The scores they give (4, 5, 6, 6 for a total of 21) are marginally better than last week but as he heads backstage with Ochako, Katsuki can't keep in a soft grumble.

"What's with Craig?" he asks. "Does he ever give good scores?"

"He does," assures Ochako. "Just not in the first few weeks, and not without some hard graft." Though her words are encouraging, Katsuki knows he still looks dejected, especially when she adds, "You'll get there soon, I know it."

She reaches out with one hand, and after a short hesitation he takes it, squeezing it briefly before letting go again.

"Come on," she says. "Let's go watch the rest of the show."

* * *

When Katsuki gets to practice on Monday, his limbs feel heavy and slow, and even just the warm up leaves him aching.

"You okay?" asks Ochako, sinking down into a box split to stretch out her legs.

Katsuki eyes her, nodding. "Yeah, just my body kind of hurts."

"Well you're working it differently than you would at the gym," she says, leaning forward on her elbows and resting her chin in her hands. "It's just the practice catching up to you. You should stretch your muscles more."

He looks over her split, taking in the ridiculous straight line of her legs, and arches an eyebrow. "Got anything a little more beginner level?"

Ochako giggles and gets up. "I'll show you a few."

* * *

The theme for this week on the show is music from movies, and the music for their tango is from Phantom of the Opera. It's a lot more dramatic than the routines they've done so far and despite his fatigue, Katsuki finds he picks up on the steps faster than before. As well as that, he finally starts to get a better hang of leading and Ochako says he can probably get away with more of an intense facial expression given the nature of the tango. The head movements are abrupt though, and Katsuki has to be careful not to pull anything in his neck.

"You can mark it for now," Ochako says as they run the routine and watch themselves in the mirror. "But in the actual thing you've got to commit to the head turn."

"I know," says Katsuki, his teeth slightly gritted as he turns them both, cupping the back of her head with one hand to turn her face up to his as they continue the steps. As she explained to him when outlining the concept of the song, it's meant to look like he's enthralling her, but all he feels it looks like is a dental exam. Nevertheless, he follows the choreography as she laid it out—it's not like he has any better ideas. She ducks her head, spinning on the spot so her back is to him and his hand stays on the back of her neck, 'guiding' her next step sequence across the floor.

"Left foot lead on that part," she says. "Or you'll be on the wrong foot for the next bit in hold."

"I know," says Katsuki again.

"If you know, do it," Ochako says.

Katsuki swallows a growl, resolutely yanking her into hold again and making sure he uses the correct foot. "Happy?"

"Very," grins Ochako.

Despite maddening runs of the routine punctuated with 'I know's and 'yeah whatever's, Katsuki does manage to get the choreography right by Tuesday afternoon, and the excited gleam in Ochako's eye at the prospect of more time to perfect it is almost worth it. Only almost though.

"Don't splay your hand on my back," she says on Wednesday morning as they run the routine again. Thrown by her words, Katsuki mixes up his feet and steps on her foot. "Ow!"

"Don't distract me!" he says. He tries briefly to get back on the right foot, but soon gives up on it, instead coming to a stop and frowning at her. "Why did you say that?"

"Because your fingers were wide open," she replies, turning off the music. "You know you're supposed to close your hands."

"Yeah but did you have to say that when I was trying to concentrate on my feet?"

"You need to stop concentrating on your feet so much and think about the performance."

"What the fuck does that even mean?" Katsuki asks. "Aren't the steps the performance?"

"They're only part of it," she says. "You need to get into the character you're portraying, especially for this dance and do the steps without thinking."

Katsuki shakes his head to himself—how in the fuck is he supposed to not think about moving his feet?

[08:03] **IZUKU**: Hey Kacchan how's everything going?

[08:04] **KATSUKI**: ehhhhhhhhhhhhh

[08:06] **IZUKU**: Oh dear.

Are the routines really hard?

[08:07] **KATSUKI**: sometimes

Ochako says I should perform more or some shit

but then I get the steps wrong and she yells at me

and I just want to get the fucking routine right

[08:09] **IZUKU**: She yells at you?

[08:11] **KATSUKI**: she tells me off

[08:12] **IZUKU**: Wow, never thought someone other than your mum who could do that without you threatening to blow their head off.

[08:14] **KATSUKI**: can't really do that here

would be in the shitty papers before I even finished talking

[08:15] **IZUKU**: Well if it keeps you out of trouble. ;)

[08:16] **KATSUKI**: shut it nerd

[08:16] **IZUKU**: Sorry couldn't resist. :)

[08:17] **KATSUKI**: how's things back home?

keeping the streets safe without me?

[08:18] **IZUKU**: Yeah everything's fine, you know I won't let anything bad happen.

[08:19] **KATSUKI**: good keep it that way

[08:20] **IZUKU**: Will do.

* * *

Wearing a wig is a strange feeling, Katsuki discovers. The half mask doesn't bother him much—he wears a full one for work after all—but the wig is new and close and very warm. Not only that, but he can't stop tugging at it.

"_Must_ you find something to fiddle with every single week?"

Hearing her voice behind him makes Katsuki turn to face Ochako, a retort halfway to his lips. His words die in his throat, however, when he sees her. The dress she's wearing is white, almost blindingly so, like fresh snow under moonlight, and her hair has been given long extensions and styled into soft curls around her face. It's only the look of exasperation there that reminds him forcibly that it's her and grounds him in reality. He clears his throat, his usual mask of indifference back in place.

"You look really nice," he manages to say; it's true after all.

Her lip turns up on one side in a half smile. "Thanks—it's kind of amazing the things they make for us each week, right?"

"Yeah, really is," he agrees, remembering himself and standing up straighter to offer her his arm, which she slips her hand through.

"How are you feeling?" she asks as they make their way down the corridor. "Ready to beat last week's score?"

Her words goad a little smile onto his face. "Definitely—maybe we can get more than a four from Craig."

She grins. "Let's hope so."

* * *

When Katsuki sees Craig hold up the number 5 paddle, he feels a jolt of excitement go through him, far stronger than he ever would have expected to feel at a score on a dancing competition. The feedback from Craig wasn't glowing—Katsuki suspects he'll never be able to gauge the scores he gets from him though. The others follow: 6, 6, 7, making their total 24.

"It's your highest score yet!" declares Claudia as the cameras cut back to his and Ochako's grinning faces. "How are you feeling after that?"

"Uh..." Katsuki exchanges a look with Ochako, clearing his throat. "Really good."

"Just 'really good'?" prods Claudia.

"Well apparently I'm not allowed to swear so yeah, that's it for on air."

The responding laugh from the others in the green room is knowing; everyone is well aware of Katsuki and his foul mouth by now.

"Well we'll leave it there for tonight then," says Claudia, turning back to the camera, "and next up we have Hadou and Giovanni, dancing a Titanic waltz—let's hope they don't sink."

"Happy?" whispers Ochako, turning her face up to Katsuki's. There's a sparkle in her eye that makes him pause for a moment—though he doesn't know why—before replying, a smile coming to his face.

"Yeah, I'm great."


	3. Chapter 3

The good scores from their tango put them about halfway up the scoreboard and, combined with another week of not having to face the dance off, leaves both Katsuki and Ochako in a buoyant mood when they return to practice on Monday.

"You're getting used to the warm ups,"comments Ochako during a water break. "You seem less tired today."

"I think I'm starting to get used to dancing all the time," he agrees, fanning the bottom of his tank top up and down to cool his skin. "Told you I would."

Ochako arches an eyebrow at him. "I didn't doubt you."

Katsuki pauses for a moment, a retort almost ready, before shrugging. "Gee thanks... What are we doing this week?"

"A salsa," she declares, pushing in the lid of her water bottle and putting it down before heading to the middle of the room. Katsuki follows.

"But we already did that," he says.

Ochako, who had apparently been trying to decide where best to begin the rehearsal, stops what she's doing and turns a confused look at him. "What?"

"We already did one," repeats Katsuki. "First week."

Ochako's look of puzzlement turns into a laugh. "Right, I see the confusion. That was a _samba_, not a salsa."

Katsuki's frown deepens. "And that's not the same thing?"

"No," giggles Ochako, the light in her brown eyes twinkling with mirth. "No, it's another Latin dance but it's different movements and no samba rolls."

Katsuki breathes out a sigh of relief at the lack of samba rolls but then notices the rest of the sentence. "Latin means another fucking open shirt doesn't it?"

"'Fraid so," says Ochako. "Got to show off the goods."

Katsuki sighs again. "Great."

* * *

Having lost in the dance off on Saturday night with Tsuyu, Eijirou starts occasionally helping during their rehearsals, offering advice as someone who can watch them both from another angle, demonstrating steps with Ochako for Katsuki to follow, or as a consultant for Ochako with her choreography.

"You need to move your hips more," Eijirou says to Katsuki as they reach the end of the routine one afternoon. "You said you felt like you didn't have much manoeuvrability before; try loosening up through your hips and it'll help."

Katsuki nods and Ochako moves behind him. "Eiji come dance in my place and I'll try and get some movement into his hips."

"Huh?!" Before Katsuki can say anything further Eijirou is in front of him, getting into hold where Ochako normally would be, while she puts her hands on Katsuki's hips.

"Three, four—one, two, three, four," Ochako counts as they begin to move slowly.

Katsuki tries to dance normally, leading Eijirou as he would Ochako, but her hands on his hips are insistent, pressing hard and guiding his pelvis to move from side to side. The movement forces his legs to move differently and his spine to straighten.

"Loosen your knees," says Eijirou. "You can't dance a good salsa with them locked."

Katsuki frowns in concentration, trying to let Ochako guide him more as he continues to follow her count. Eventually they come to a stop and her hands leave his hips.

"You're starting to get it," she says as Katsuki lets go of Eijirou. "You need to bounce more."

"Okay."

"And relax," says Eijirou with an amused grin. "You were doing the face again."

Katsuki scowls. "Shut the fuck up Shitty Hair, no I wasn't."

Eijirou laughs incredulously, running one hand over his spiked hair. "Rude, I work hard to get it looking this obnoxious."

Before he can reply, Katsuki feels a punch to his arm and jumps, looking down at Ochako.

"What the fuck was that for?!"

"Stop being a git," she says. "You probably were doing the face. Do you _ever_ listen to Darcey's feedback?"

"Yeah she asked what was wrong with my face," says Katsuki, folding his arms. "What's wrong with hers? She looks like a horse."

"Excuse you," glowers Ochako, folding her arms too. "She is a _dame_ of the _ballet_."

"So? I pull people out of collapsed buildings and I don't have to fucking smile while I do that."

"No, but you're here right now so even if you're looking down your nose at all of this you need to at least pretend like you're playing along."

"Okay, both of you need to calm down," interrupts Eijirou. "Let's go get some food and take a breather."

The anger in Katsuki's stomach doesn't want to listen, and he doesn't see any trace of Ochako backing off either, but when Eijirou pointedly clears his throat, Ochako lowers her gaze.

"Fine," she sighs, stepping back and dropping her stance. "Let's go."

After only a moment's hesitation, Katsuki follows them, grabbing his phone and water bottle, but as he goes to take a sip of his water he catches Ochako's eyes again. There's a fire in her look that makes him pause, feeling an odd jolt behind his navel and a tingle on his hips where her hands were before. She arches an eyebrow at him...

"Hey Katsuki," says Eijirou before either of them can say anything—it seems he's good at deflecting tension. "Tsuyu told me some pretty crazy stories from when you guys were at school."

Katsuki clears his throat, looking at Eijirou. "Yeah, like what?"

"Is it true you guys had to deal with an actual gang of villains in your first term?" asks Eijirou.

"Yeah it was pretty fucking scary," begins Katsuki as the three of them head out of the studio together. "They took out our teachers and it was the first time we'd ever seen those nomu things."

"No way!" says Eijirou. "And then All Might came and punched it into orbit right?"

"Yeah," replies Katsuki. "Something like that, but we held them off for a while."

"You're so chill about it," laughs Eijirou. "It's so manly."

"It seemed like there were incidents like that happening all the time at UA," says Ochako, clearly too curious to stay quiet any longer. "I saw so many reports about it—how did you have time to study?"

Katsuki shrugs. "Just got on with it I guess. We all became really strong heroes because of it though."

They walk across the commercial complex to seek out some food and drink, Ochako and Eijirou quizzing Katsuki on what UA was like to attend and about all the villains the class had to fight in their first year alone. When they ask about his studies outside of learning to be a pro hero and he mentions maintaining third in the class throughout high school, neither of them can hide their surprise.

"You kept your grades up _that_ high?" Ochako asks, fork halfway between her pasta salad and her mouth. "I knew you passed with good marks but third in the class?"

Katsuki fixes her with an unimpressed gaze. "I'm smart—does that surprise you?"

A blush comes into Ochako's cheeks and she looks down at her food again, pouting a little, and Katsuki feels his heart give an odd little thump at the sight. Maybe he could stand to be less of a dick to her...

"Your public persona doesn't really play up that fact," says Eijirou; admittedly it's a decent save. "All the footage and interviews and things talk about your toughness and not a lot else."

It's fair enough, Katsuki supposes, taking a contemplative bite of his sandwich. He's always been okay with being thought of as strong and powerful above all else, but now there's a strange twinge in his chest at the thought of how these two have seen him up until now.

* * *

Despite the near argument with Ochako when Eijirou was in the rehearsal, she still seems determined to make Katsuki to smile throughout the salsa.

"I'm _trying_," he grumbles the fourth time she reminds him about it during this particular run through of the routine. "It's hard to concentrate on dancing and smiling at the same time!"

"Then you're thinking too hard about your feet," she chides over the music, continuing the dance as Katsuki grits his teeth through a series of step ball changes. "Just dance and enjoy it!"

They get through the rest of the routine with an obviously forced grin on Katsuki's face; as they reach the end Ochako lets out a sigh. Turning to him, she cocks her head to one side.

"What makes you happy?" she asks. "Enough to make you smile?"

Katsuki rolls his eyes. "Are we really doing this?"

"Yes," she says firmly, "because we can't keep getting negative feedback and docked points because of your face."

He scowls at her. "Sorry to break this to you but there's not a lot I can do about my fucking face."

"You know what I mean," she says, unmoving. "So come on, tell me something that makes you smile."

Katsuki's mouth twists thoughtfully. At one point in his life—during school—it would have been seeing Izuku fall over, but he's matured since then (thankfully) and he couldn't do what he does without Izuku by his side to support him. Similarly the thought of Izuku (or anyone else) alone isn't enough to incite Katsuki to smile—however when he thinks of taking down villains with Izuku, or anyone else he's worked with, a grin comes to his lips.

"You found something?" asks Ochako, unable to hide something of a smug smile when he looks down at her.

He nods. "My job."

"If only everyone could say the same," she laughs. "But yes I can imagine getting to do your childhood dream job would make you happy; it does me."

Katsuki thinks of the conversation about her wish to have become a pro hero but bites back the response, instead giving her as sincere a smile as he can. "So I've got to think about taking down villains while we're dancing?"

"Yeah if it gets you to smile," she grins. "Let's run it again."

* * *

Unfortunately learning how to smile while dancing doesn't help: when they perform the salsa on Saturday night Katsuki misses a beat going into the chorus and struggles to get back onto the correct foot for several bars, and though he keeps the rhythm consistent and knows the audience may not have noticed, he has no such luck with the judges.

"Your facial expression was much better, much more pleasant," says Darcey, "but you did get a little turned around for a few bars I think. Well done for getting back onto the right foot though."

"Yes I agree," says Shirley. "Well done for correcting yourself but you did do a little wrong so I am going to have to deduct some points. But that smile was very handsome—thank you for smiling."

"It was a spicy hot salsa!" says Bruno when prompted to give his feedback, rising to his feet slightly as he talks. "You came out with lots of energy and your smile was very nice—it's a shame about the mistake but overall a good dance."

"Well darling," says Craig. "Quite apart from going wrong on your feet I wasn't that impressed with the face—it was a grimace at best and rather crazed I felt."

Still a little worn out from the dance, Katsuki can't find a smartass response and simply nods, soon leaving with Ochako to go get their scores: 4, 5, 6, 6. Though they're not bottom, the score of 21 is the same as two weeks ago and Katsuki knows he doesn't hide his disappointment well.

"Sorry about that," says Ochako as the next couple is announced and the pre-dance VT starts rolling. "It really sucks."

"Not your fault," says Katsuki, feeling her gently squeeze his arm. "Just hope we don't go into the dance off."

"If we do you'll be okay," she assures him. "You'll get the right foot and they'll save us."

"You really think so?"

"I'm certain."

* * *

The wait for their names on the safe list seems to go on indefinitely. After Recovery Girl and Minoru are revealed to be in the dance off and the spotlight over them turns red, a painful twinge makes itself known in Katsuki's gut and he knows he's holding onto Ochako's waist tighter than before. Eventually only they and one other couple—Tenya and Oti—are left standing and the twinge turns to nausea because surely they're going to have to dance again.

"The second couple dancing again tonight..."

The suspenseful music is maddening; Katsuki would very much like to punch the producer responsible. Instead he tries to hide his nerves with a frown, steadying his hands on Ochako's waist.

"Tenya and Oti!"

The lights in the studio come up and Katsuki knows he likely looks like a startled fish—he was certain they'd be dancing again. When he looks down to see Ochako giving him a relieved smile, the relief hits him and he lets go of the breath he didn't realise he was holding. Instinctively, he stoops a little to hug her tight, feeling her arms wrap around his neck in response. She sighs thankfully before they separate and follow a crew member back to the green room.

"Well done," she grins at him as they get there.

"I didn't do shit," he says. "I fucked up your choreography."

"We still got through," she says. "Try not to question why too much."

* * *

When he wakes up the following morning however, Katsuki finds out exactly why he got through. For the most part, he tends to ignore any notifications from social media, but when he sees a message from Deku he opens it.

[06:45] **IZUKU**: Hey Kacchan have you seen this?

Tapping on the link, Katsuki finds himself on Twitter, looking at tweets relating to a hashtag that sends a shiver down his spine: #bakutiddies.

explodo-fangirl: dance sucked but u can't ignore the #bakutiddies #strictly

w31rd_daydream: DAYUM LOOK AT DEM UDDERS #scd #bakutiddies

witheredpetal: honestly I knew where my vote was going as soon as they came down the stairs #strictly #bakutiddies

hero-fan-03: god bless the #strictly wardrobe department #bakutiddies #thirsty

carpe_fish: legit don't think I watched that dance #scd #bakutiddies

blastyboi666: I love how we all collectively decided we couldn't be deprived of the #bakutiddies

carlosss: yeah they sucked but what will I fap to if we lose the #bakutiddies?

The tweets continue on and on, and Katsuki scrolls through them with a sick, angry twist in his stomach. Though they recorded it last night, the dance off and elimination will be broadcast tonight, so none of the viewers know that they went through yet, but knowing why they actually went through is making Katsuki's blood boil and heart pound. He eventually tosses his phone down on the bed with a frustrated growl and goes into the bathroom to take a very angry shower.

* * *

By the time he gets to the dance studio for practice the next morning, Katsuki is seething. He continued to follow the hashtag during the broadcast last night, with fury roiling under his skin; it only got worse when they revealed that he and Ochako were through. While a lot of people (mostly the people who seemed to like his pecs) were pleased that they went through, he saw other tweets that said they should have been in the dance off. What's even more frustrating is that he's inclined to agree.

"Morning!" calls Ochako as he pushes the door open. "Ready to get started?"

In the corner, Katsuki can see the camera crew ready to film some parts of the rehearsal. He shrugs. "Yeah I guess."

The little smile on Ochako's face fades into a look of confusion as she takes in his slouched shoulders and thunderous face. "You okay?"

Katsuki folds his arms across his chest. "I'm fine."

Putting one hand on her hip, Ochako arches an eyebrow at him. "Yeah you look like you're jumping for joy."

"Didn't you see Twitter over the weekend?" he asks.

"Not really," she says. "It doesn't really interest me to know people have had toast for breakfast and I'm kind of busy."

Katsuki reaches into his back pocket to retrieve his phone and show her the threads and threads of tweets trashing their routine and praising the 'bakutiddies'. Her face flits between boredom, vague displeasure and a few little amused smiles that deepen Katsuki's scowl. Eventually she looks up.

"Clearly they like the open shirts more than you," she says, handing his phone back; Katsuki can't hide a look of incredulity.

"Aren't you pissed off?" he asks. In the corner, he sees the camera crew look up. "They're talking shit about our routine!"

"I've had worse critique," she says. "And it wasn't our best performance."

Katsuki bristles, the angry ache in his stomach souring further. "Wasn't _my_ best performance you mean."

Though he's rarely seen anyone other than his mother try not to roll their eyes at him, Katsuki can see it on Ochako's face now. "You made a mistake—don't get too caught up on it."

"How am I supposed to do that when everyone wants to remind me of it?" he asks.

"You get on with the next routine," she replies.

"The next routine being the next one they can ignore?"

"Make it so good they can't ignore it."

There's a challenge in her eyes that roots Katsuki where he stands. Moments ago, he was ready to storm out of here, but now...

He sighs. "Fine—what's the next dance?"

Ochako grins, the expression lighting up her face once more. "A paso doble—I think you'll like this one."

"Okay," he says, shrugging off his hoodie. "Let's fucking do this then."

* * *

The paso doble, as Ochako explains it, is a bullfight, where they'll be challenging one another throughout the routine, and Katsuki would be lying if he said that didn't excite him a little bit. Determined to take Ochako's advice and show the audience not to underestimate him, he throws himself into training, wanting more than anything to get the steps and the arms as right as possible so that no one can possibly criticise them. As well as that, her words from the night of their first performance still linger in his mind, reminding him of the possibility of winning, and he knows he can't not try for it. The energy of the paso suits Katsuki better than their previous dances too: it's not silly and maddeningly cheerful like the samba and salsa, not 'suave and gentlemanly' like the foxtrot, and more freeing than the tango. When he gets home at the end of each day, he finds himself stamping around the kitchen as he cooks, trying to note how he holds his shoulders and his facial expression, and in the mornings Ochako can't keep from grinning as they run the routine again and again. By mid afternoon on Thursday, she's perfecting rather than correcting him.

"Attack it!" she commands as he moves around her, holding the cape with both hands. "Imagine taking down a villain!"

A wicked, wild grin spreads across Katsuki's face and he swings his arms, snapping the cape in the air as she moves in opposition to it.

"Perfect!" she calls again over the music.

He throws the cape aside and comes up behind her to pull her into his arms and she struggles for a moment before pushing him away and falling to the floor. As the final chord crashes into sound, Katsuki falls to his knees over her and she sits up, their faces inches apart and panting breaths mingling between them. For a moment, Katsuki finds himself unable—or maybe just unwilling—to move as he gazes into Ochako's wide brown eyes, both of them still in the ending position for the dance. His heard is thundering madly in his chest but before he can figure out why or do anything about it, the next track on Ochako's phone starts playing, snapping their attention back to the real world.

"Shush!" Ochako calls to the phone as she pushes herself to her feet to go turn the music off. With as quiet a sigh as he can manage, Katsuki gets up too, going to retrieve the cape from where he dropped it. His heart still pounds hard and his mind is abuzz with formless bewilderment.

"That was really good."

Looking over his shoulder, Katsuki gives her a nod. "Yeah it was, feels like we're starting to get it really... right, you know?"

Ochako beams at him and his stomach flips with a sick realisation.

_Oh fuck_...

* * *

[22:41] **KATSUKI**: oi Deku please tell me you're up

[22:53] **IZUKU**: Yeah I just got out the shower, what's up?

[22:54] **KATSUKI**: I don't know what to do

[22:55] **IZUKU**: I can't really help much with dancing stuff Kacchan.

[22:57] **KATSUKI**: it's not a dancing thing

[22:59] **IZUKU**: What is it then?

[23:02] **KATSUKI**: it's my partner

[23:03] **IZUKU**: Ochako?

[23:04] **KATSUKI**: yeah

[23:04] **IZUKU**: What's wrong with her?

[23:06] **KATSUKI**: nothing but I feel weird around her

[23:07] **IZUKU**: Weird how?

[23:09] **KATSUKI**: like my stomach is all bubbly and weird and my heart beats really hard when she smiles

[23:12] **IZUKU**: You're not going to like what I'm going to say.

[23:13] **KATSUKI**: probably not

what is it

[23:15] **IZUKU**: It sounds like you like her.

[23:16] **KATSUKI**: fuck

that's what I was afraid of

[23:17] **IZUKU**: Sorry.

[23:18] **KATSUKI**: what do I do

[23:19] **IZUKU**: What do you want to do?

[23:20] **KATSUKI**: I don't know that's why I messaged you

[23:21] **IZUKU**: Do you want to tell her?

[23:22] **KATSUKI**: idk

[23:23] **IZUKU**: How does she feel about you?

[23:24] **KATSUKI**: idk

[23:25] **IZUKU**: You don't know much do you?

[23:26] **KATSUKI**: shut the fuck up nerd I could still kick your ass from here

[23:27] **IZUKU**: It seems like you need to figure some things out before you can do anything about it.

[23:28] **KATSUKI**: probably plus people keep talking about some kind of curse

[23:30] **IZUKU**: Yeah I read up on that when you signed up, it's to do with the show breaking up existing couples.

Is she in a relationship?

[23:31] **KATSUKI**: idk I know she has a professional partner

[23:32] **IZUKU**: That might be a good thing to find out.

Because if she is you shouldn't try anything.

[23:33] **KATSUKI**: fucking duh I'm not that kind of arsehole

[23:34] **IZUKU**: No you're a good person Kacchan.

[23:35] **KATSUKI**: what if she's not with anyone though

[23:36] **IZUKU**: See if she likes you back and if she does go for it?

[23:37] **KATSUKI**: easy for you to say

[23:38] **IZUKU**: I know, but I have faith in you.

[23:39] **KATSUKI**: you always do

[23:40] **IZUKU**: And I've yet to be proven wrong.

Wait isn't it really late where you are?

[23:41] **KATSUKI**: yeah it's nearly midnight

[23:42] **IZUKU**: Go to bed, you need to sleep and it's three hours past your bedtime!

[23:43] **KATSUKI**: I know, I wanted to talk to you

[23:44] **IZUKU**: Well you know I'll always be around for you to talk to.

[23:45] **KATSUKI**: thanks Deku, night

[23:46] **IZUKU**: Goodnight Kacchan.

* * *

Between working hard in practice and doing interviews and stuff for the cameras (including a painful episode of It Takes Two where he grits his teeth through questions about '#bakutiddies'), Katsuki doesn't talk to Ochako about anything personal. Plus, if he's totally honest with himself, he's too nervous at the prospect of it and can't find any natural way to ease into the conversation. By the time dress rehearsals roll around on Friday afternoon, he's all but lost his nerve and too focused on the routine to try and talk to her about anything else.

As they leave the floor together, Ochako gives him an apologetic look.

"Sorry Wardrobe screwed you over again," she says.

"What do you mean?" asks Katsuki with a frown.

"The tiddies," she says, gesturing to the matador style jacket only just covering his bare torso.

Katsuki looks down at the get up before shrugging. "Yeah it's not great. What did you think of the promenade?"

One of Ochako's eyebrows rises in surprise. "You're not going to fight them on it?"

"Not really," he admits. "I just want to get the dance right, and... well, like you said, if people enjoy it we might as well and I've got a decent body, right?"

"You do," agrees Ochako with a grin.

"Anyway, the promenade—what do you think?"

* * *

As soon as they hit their final beat and the music crashes into an ending, Katsuki knows they've done the routine justice. His body thrums with adrenaline and excitement and he can't resist a fist pump as he helps Ochako to her feet and they head over to her their comments from the judges.

"You're so smiley!" says Tess as they get to their marks, and Katsuki finds he can't argue with her. "That was so exciting to watch!"

"Thanks," he manages to say, feeling Ochako's arm tighten around his waist in a proud hug. "It was a really fun dance and I enjoyed it."

"We can see that—shall we see if the judges agree?" Tess asks, turning to the judges. "Bruno?"

"Darling, it was a fabulous, passionate paso!" exclaims Bruno, rising to his feet as Shirley leans away from his flailing arms and the audience cheers. "You really connected with the dance, you connected with the music and you connected with your partner, and that really is fantastic to see at this point."

The audience applauds again and Katsuki feels his insides twist nervously as Tess asks Craig for his thoughts.

"Well," he says, face and voice as nonchalant as always, "I thought you could have done better on your chasses, actually, and your footwork in general could use some fine tuning." His words are almost drowned out by the audience booing in protest. "But you did have a good sense of rhythm with this song and you seem to be dancing better with Ochako which is good to see."

As the audience applauds more, Tess turns to Darcey.

"Well hello, I think your inner dancer is finally starting to come out," Darcey says excitedly. "Like everyone's said, you were connecting with Ochako more and the chemistry between you two was really very good. You also really attacked the dance and gave it the energy and attitude it needed and that was just wonderful."

Again Katsuki can't resist grinning, giving Ochako a squeeze around the shoulders. There's excited buzz in his chest that makes the last week and all the furious practising so worth it, especially when it comes to Shirley's turn to speak and she gives him a wide smile.

"I agree—your chemistry is really just... perfect," she says with a wave of her hands. "I do agree with Craig a little though: do watch those chasses, but I think it's very clear that you've really been listening to feedback and taking it on board and working on it and for that I want to commend you and thank you."

As they head upstairs to await their scores, Ochako lets out an excited little squeal.

"Well done!" she says, squeezing his hand. "You did so well!"

"You taught me so well," he says firmly, squeezing her hand back as they rejoin the others upstairs and take their places by Claudia.

The scores almost make him break his no swearing rule all over again: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27. Instead of swearing he beams, hugging Ochako back as she throws her arms tightly around his waist, both of them practically jumping on the spot in excitement. Katsuki never wants to forget this feeling: this rush of pride and excitement and sheer exhilaration, nor the smile on Ochako's face.


	4. Chapter 4

Twitter is thankfully too distracted and excited by the routine to be overly focused on Katsuki's complete lack of shirt when he scrolls through the feeds the next day at the gym. As he jogs on the treadmill he sees various tweets of people being excited by aspects of the routine, the music, the choreography, and though some have commented on his outfit, the hashtag seems to have died a welcome death. What does make him shake his head are some tweets where he's being referred to as some variant of 'daddy', usually accompanied by a picture from the routine.

A couple of the tweets are a little more forward and he frowns at them in bewilderment. Sweaty and panting, he isn't sure he could feel less sexy right now. After seeing a tweet that simply says 'FUCK M Y' with a picture of him and Ochako in their ending pose (which is admittedly pretty good but which he also doesn't dare look at for too long), he decides to take matters into his own hands.

Opening his front facing camera, he angles his phone to take a selfie, his expression deliberately confused, and quickly posts it to Twitter with the caption 'you guys are nasty wtf'. It starts gaining likes and retweets quickly but he puts down his phone to focus on upping the intensity of the final few minutes of his workout. Sparks crackle across his palms as he sweats harder, music pounding in his ears alongside his heartbeat. By the time he finishes his workout, he desperately needs a shower; on the way there he sees a message from Izuku.

[14:04] **IZUKU**: Kacchan that won't help!

Katsuki frowns at the laughing-crying emoji after the message.

[14:10] **KATSUKI**: what do you mean?

[14:12] **IZUKU**: Posting a selfie of you working out is not going to stop people calling you daddy.

The message is followed by more laughing-crying emojis and Katsuki frowns again.

[14:13] **KATSUKI**: what do you mean? I looked all gross and sweaty

[14:14] **IZUKU**: They're going to think it's sexy.

[14:15] **KATSUKI**: seriously?

[14:16] **IZUKU**: It would only have been worse if you had been shirtless.

A cursory glance at Twitter reveals that Izuku is absolutely right: while some of the retweets are along the lines of 'y'all need Jesus' (as he was hoping people would react), there are far more who have put tongue or aubergine emojis, water squirting emojis, or the dreaded 'daddy' again.

[14:18] **KATSUKI**: fuck me these people are thirsty

[14:19] **IZUKU**: Told you.

[14:20] **KATSUKI**: this fucking site is full of creeps

[14:21] **IZUKU**: Stay away from tumblr then.

[14:22] **KATSUKI**: what do I do now?

[14:23] **IZUKU**: Tell them to go to their rooms and think about what they've done?

[14:24] **KATSUKI**: fuck off

[14:25] **IZUKU**: Sorry, couldn't resist.

[14:26] **KATSUKI**: clearly

[14:27] **IZUKU**: You spoken to Ochako yet?

[14:28] **KATSUKI**: no too busy dancing

plus how do you bring up something like that?

[14:29] **IZUKU**: You'll think of something.

[14:30] **KATSUKI**: you're useless

what day you getting here?

[14:31] **IZUKU**: Should be Monday afternoon.

[14:32] **KATSUKI**: good I miss your stupid face

[14:33] **IZUKU**: I miss you too. :) See you soon.

[14:34] **KATSUKI**: see you soon

* * *

When Katsuki arrives at the dance studio for practice on Monday, the whole place is decked out in decorations: cobwebs, white plastic sheeting in the shape of ghosts, vampire bats hanging from the ceiling; he suspects the floor has only been left clear to allow them to dance as he clocks the date.

"It's Halloween week isn't it?" he asks Ochako, getting a nod in response as she comes over to greet him.

"Yeah, they tend to go pretty all out for it," she says, glancing over at the ever present camera crew. "I'll warn you now, they're going to want something for the camera."

"Oh fuck me not more of that cutesy shit?" he asks.

"'Fraid so," she says with a rueful little smile. "But if we get it over with quickly then we can get to work on the routine."

Katsuki throws a look at the camera crew before shrugging. "Fair enough, let's get this shit over with."

"That's the spirit," Ochako giggles—though he would never admit it, Katsuki feels his heart skip a beat.

An hour later, Katsuki understands what Ochako meant about how her quirk used to give her motion sickness. For the bit they wanted, the crew thought it would be 'fun' for Ochako to make Katsuki float around as though under a magic spell, and, having had to do a few takes, he's spent rather a long time upside down in the air. By the time they call a wrap on it, Katsuki needs to sit down and drink some water; thankfully Ochako is happy to let him, sinking into a box split beside him as he sips from his bottle.

"Sorry," she says. "I know it's not much fun."

"S'fine," he replies. "I'm just not used to it yet."

A spark flashes in Ochako's eye as she gives him a grin. "Yet?"

"Well yeah," he says. "We should incorporate it into routines more—it would look great."

"You'd like to?"

"Fuck yeah!"

Ochako nods. "I'll bear it in mind for future choreography, plus I already agreed to put it in the showdance."

"Cool..." Katsuki takes another sip of his water. "So what are we doing this week?"

"A waltz."

"Is that the slow romantic one?"

"Usually yes," she says. "But we're doing a different angle with it for Halloween."

"What do you mean?"

"Well the storyline isn't too romantic—I'm playing a witch who enthrals you and we dance until you die."

"This how you usually get yourself a boyfriend?" he teases, getting a giggle in response.

"Well everyone needs a hobby," she shrugs. "How's your stomach?"

Katsuki pauses thoughtfully, feeling for any residual dizziness in his gut. "Better."

"You ready to get started?" she asks. "I'll be gentle."

"No need," he says. "Let's get on it."

* * *

Soon, despite having gone over it several times and knowing that he's been getting choreography faster over time, Katsuki feels like he's barely grasped even the basics of the dance. Just the timing is sending him into a tailspin, the three-four rhythm unintuitive to his feet and his body no matter how hard he tries to pick it up. As he misses yet another beat, he lets out a growl of frustration, letting go of Ochako and resisting the urge to stamp his foot like a toddler having a tantrum.

"Fuck's sake!" He clenches his fists around the displeased sparks crackling across his palms.

"Hey, calm down," says Ochako as she turns off the music once again. "The timing is hard—follow the music rather than counting if you need to."

"Yeah I know," grumbles Katsuki, getting back into his starting position in the corner. "Let's do it again."

Ochako takes her place in the opposite corner of the studio, giving him a nod. "Just focus on the timing and don't think about performing it too much for now."

They start again, marking the more dramatic elements like him being enchanted and Ochako's 'spell casting'; Katsuki concentrates hard on the steps, making sure to place his feet and arms on the beat as best he can. Getting to the end of the song, with its slow beat and difficult bars, feels like it takes five minutes rather than ninety seconds, but they get through it, and when the last beat matches his last step—or rather, him dropping to the floor 'dead'—he breathes a sigh of relief.

"See," Ochako grins down at him, "you've got it, you just need to relax."

"I have to think about it really hard though," Katsuki says. "It wasn't like this with the paso."

"I know," she says, holding out a hand and helping him up. "Just keep practising it and I promise you it will get easier."

* * *

Katsuki takes her advice to heart: any time he finds to himself he goes over the waltz again and again: while he makes dinner, while he watches TV, while he runs a bath. By the following morning, he feels a little cleaner on the steps, but he knows he has a way to go before he gets it just right.

Practice is interrupted mid-morning by a knock at the door followed by the appearance of a familiar mop of green hair and freckled face. The camera crew in the corner ready the shot.

"Deku?" Katsuki can feel the smile spreading across his face already.

"Hey," Izuku greets them as he steps into the room properly. Done with the current run through of the routine, Katsuki strides over to pull him into a hug. Though he would never tell anyone other than Izuku (and half the time he won't even admit it to him), getting a hug from him always helps Katsuki feel better and now is no exception. Izuku's arms squeeze comfortably around his waist before letting go.

"Good to see you Kacchan," he says with a grin. "You working hard?"

"When am I not?" asks Katsuki, stepping back and waving a hand to Ochako. "This is Ochako, Ochako this is Deku..." He pauses, thinking for a moment before shrugging. "But you both probably know that already."

Ochako laughs and Izuku grins, bobbing his head to her in a little bow. "I've been watching the whole show," he tells her. "Well done for getting him this far."

"It's been a bit trying at times," Ochako grins, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "He's a little tricky."

"That's one more word for it," chuckles Izuku. "Kacchan can be a bit of a handful."

"When you're quite done talking shit about me..." Katsuki pokes Izuku in the cheek. He isn't sure how to put it into words, even in the privacy of his own mind, but seeing Ochako get along with Izuku so easily is giving him a sour taste at the back of his throat.

Ochako laughs again, putting a hand on his arm. "I know, we need to get this timing down. Do you want to watch Deku?"

Izuku nods. "I'd love to."

Having Izuku watch them is strange: though he wants to show him a perfectly executed waltz, Katsuki can't seem to get it exactly right. Several times he has to correct his leading foot and feels Ochako subtly leading him through it. When they get to the end of the routine, Izuku claps, grinning.

"Looks good," he says genially, but Katsuki frowns.

"It's terrible," he says. "I just can't get it right."

"It's better than you think," insists Ochako. "Waltz timing is hard so don't be discouraged."

"Yeah I know," grumbles Katsuki. She said the same at least twenty times yesterday, and it's all very well and good her saying so but it doesn't help him understand why he can't get the routine right. He takes a gulp from his water bottle and Ochako turns to Izuku.

"Do you want to give it a try?" she asks him, getting a nervous laugh in return.

"I don't think I'd be very good," he replies, waving his hands as if to ward her off. "I'm not very musical."

"You'll be fine," says Ochako with a grin. "It's just a bit of fun and it might help Katsuki to see it from another angle."

She isn't lying: seeing routines from another perspective does genuinely help Katsuki and normally she would employ Eijirou for this, as she did for the salsa and paso both, but he's been busy this week choreographing a group number for the professional dancers. As it is, Katsuki gestures with his water bottle.

"Just do it Deku," he says. "She'll be nice to you."

Izuku raises an eyebrow at him before getting up. "Okay, let's try it."

He follows Ochako to the middle of the room, facing her and going to take her hands. Ochako however tugs him closer, putting his right hand on her waist and chuckling at the look of surprise on his face.

"This is the hold for the waltz," she says, pulling his other arm out to the side. "Katsuki make sure you don't splay your fingers like this one."

"I thought you said she'd be nice," says Izuku; Katsuki just snorts in response.

Ochako starts Izuku on a simple box step, the one thing Katsuki is actually comfortable with at this point. Izuku's steps are hesitant and Katsuki feels a small wave of satisfaction as he realises how far he's already come in his dance study. As Ochako moves on to showing Izuku some more interesting steps—turns and twirls, most of which Katsuki can connect to their routine—and Izuku seems to start to get it. As he dances through a short sequence, Katsuki tastes that sour feeling in the back of his throat again, the taste growing stronger as Ochako lets out a little laugh when Izuku gets to the end of it and puts one hand out to the side in a little flourish. When the two of them turn back to him, Katsuki sets a smile and gives them a polite clap.

"Did that help a little?" asks Ochako.

"Yeah." It's half true. "I think so."

"Good."

Katsuki meets Izuku's gaze and Izuku raises his eyebrow at him again. It's a familiar expression and Katsuki knows there's a long conversation coming his way later.

* * *

When Katsuki leaves the dance studio later, Izuku is already waiting outside.

"So that's Ochako then?" he asks and they fall into step together.

"Yeah," says Katsuki.

"I can see why you like her,"grins Izuku. "She's really nice."

Katsuki bites his tongue on the first response that pops into his head and instead makes a non-committal noise, not looking at Izuku. In his peripheral vision he sees Izuku look at him.

"Plus she seems to be able to put up with you," Izuku adds, prompting a scowl from Katsuki.

"Fuck do you mean nerd?"

Izuku laughs. "Oh good, you _are_ still in there."

Katsuki folds his arms. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well love does weird things to people," says Izuku.

A weird tremble goes through Katsuki's stomach and he scoffs, squashing it down. "Shut the fuck up Deku, I'm not in love with her."

"But you definitely have feelings for her," says Izuku with an air of certainty he's only been able to attain as an adult.

Katsuki considers his words, still frowning to himself. "Is it really obvious?"

"Only because I know you so well," says Izuku. "And because we've talked about it before; anyone else would take what just happened as you being frustrated about the routine."

"Right..." Katsuki decidedly shoves the 'what just happened' thing aside in his mind; in reality he's well aware of what that might be but...

_I don't have time for this shit_.

* * *

On Friday morning Katsuki just about has the routine down. No, it's not perfect, but at this stage he doesn't think it can get much better. Unfortunately the dress rehearsal on Friday afternoon throws up a new hurdle: contact lenses.

When Katsuki first looks at himself in the mirror with the lenses in, he has to admit they look rather cool. His pupils are still black but the white lenses block out the red of his irises, giving him the look of a zombie thrall. Feeling a tap to his shoulder, he turns to look at Ochako, in a long black witch's dress, and watches her eyes widen.

"Oh wow that's so creepy!" she says with a laugh. "How do they feel?"

"Weird," Katsuki says truthfully; whenever he blinks he feels like they might shift.

"Are you okay to dance in them?" she asks. "The dress rehearsal is so we can iron this stuff out if it needs to be."

"I think they're okay," he says.

The make up girl peers at him a little longer but then starts on his make up and Ochako is taken away to have hers done too. When they rejoin one another in full make up, Katsuki can't suppress a soft whistle at the sight of her.

"You look nice," he says. The dress—he didn't notice before but the lace on it is shaped like cobwebs that span across her shoulders and down both arms—hugs her body nicely, accentuating the curve of her waist and flaring out from her hips in a dramatic skirt. She grins and does a little spin for him to show him the back—or rather, the lack thereof, her skin simply covered in more of the cobweb lace. As she looks at him again, he clears his throat. "Wow."

She giggles. "Thanks—you look great."

Katsuki resists the urge to touch his hair—it's been brushed with powder to make it look grey-white over his blond—and nods. "They did a pretty good job right?"

"They did..."

Katsuki watches her gaze sweep over him in his tails, unsure why it makes his chest tighten until he realises how long it lingers over his body before returning to his face. A little flush comes into her cheeks when their eyes meet but then she smiles.

"Still okay with your contacts?"

"Yeah, they feel fine."

"Shall we go do this rehearsal?"

Katsuki grimaces but offers her his arm. "Let's go."

* * *

Everything goes fine during rehearsal, with both the routine and the costumes, and it instils a strange sense of confidence in Katsuki that he hasn't felt before. By the time they get to their performance—about halfway through the show—he almost can't wait to dance the waltz.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and in this case it's the newfound confidence.

Not long into the routine, right about the point at which Katsuki is 'put under Ochako's spell', he feels a strange, itching sensation on his left eyeball and suddenly finds he can't see out of it. His vision on his left side goes milky and white, pierced only by the strong studio lights, and if he wasn't halfway through trying to perform a dance routine he would probably rub his eye. As it is, he tries to keep dancing, blinking rapidly as he feels himself starting to tear up.

The rest of the routine is a special kind of torture: he can feel himself hesitating on the steps like he hasn't spent the last month and a half learning how to dance, his already shaky timing goes to pot and when he meets Ochako's gaze with his one good eye she can't hide a look of worry. By the time they get to the climax of the routine and Katsuki knows his 'fall down dead' part is coming soon, he feels like the contact lens is almost sticking to the inside of his eyelid and he wants desperately to stop and pull it out, but nevertheless he keeps dancing. As he drops to the floor, he lets out a sigh of frustration and relief, his heart racing in his chest despite the fairly slow routine. Ochako soon appears over him, helping him to stand and walking with him to the judges' table to get their feedback.

As he draws level with Tess, Katsuki sees a Wardrobe person coming towards him out of his good eye and allows himself to be helped with the lens. Half a minute (and what feels like copious saline solution) later, Katsuki stands blinking in front of the judges, both contacts removed. Tess soon prompts Shirley to speak, getting a slightly dumbfounded look in response.

"Well I think we can see what sent you wrong there," she says, gesturing to Katsuki's eye. "Is it okay now?"

Katsuki gives her a nod. "Yeah, it's fine."

"Okay," she continues. "Obviously it wasn't your best performance and I'm really sorry the wardrobe malfunction threw you off so badly, but..." She considers him. "I feel like you might have still been able to perform the routine okay if you had been more confident about it. Were you struggling with the timing?"

"Yeah," admits Katsuki—what would be the sense in lying about it?

"I think I could see that unfortunately," she says.

The rest of the judges give similar comments—Katsuki can sense sympathy from all of them but Craig, who looks stony-faced as ever—but when they get their scores (3, 5, 5, 5, a total of 18) he still feels his shoulders crumple as though crushed. All the progress he made last week for his paso feels lost in the face of such a crappy score, and he knows the brave face he attempts for the cameras won't fool anyone, least of all Izuku, sitting in the audience.

* * *

Though he's not exactly surprised to find himself under a red spotlight and therefore in the dance off later in the evening, Katsuki realises he must still have been holding onto a shred of hope from the way his stomach gives a sick lurch. Ochako's hand in his turns into her arms around his waist; he can't resist bending slightly to hug her back, holding onto her as something more solid than his churning insides.

"I'm sorry," he says softly, keen to keep the words out of his mic.

"Don't apologise," she murmurs back, her lips close to his ear. "You can do this."

Freed of the contact lenses, Katsuki finds the dance off significantly easier, though his heart is racing the entire time. In hold, he meets Ochako's gaze, her wide brown eyes warm beneath the characterful smoulder, and everything in him longs to stay here, in the competition. He wants to dance with her for longer, to learn new things from her and prove he's better than a score of 18. But more than anything else, he realises he may not get to do any of that; if the judges choose not to save him, this is the end of the road.

_Fuck it, let's have some fun_.

Katsuki throws himself into the rest of the routine, doing his best to embody his character and keep to the timing both. The timing is still hard and the steps still need to be thought about even as he takes them, but he doesn't dare overthink, lest he stop enjoying dancing with her. When he falls to the floor at the end of the routine, he knows he couldn't have done better, even if it wasn't a perfect performance.

Later, the two of them stand in wait for the judges' verdicts. Katsuki knows his hands are shaking where they sit on Ochako's shoulders. His heart picks up as Tess asks the judges to say who they want to save and why; he's seen so many others do this by now and to be going through it himself is surreal and a little terrifying.

Craig goes first: "Well," he says, "tonight I think there was one couple who really improved from their first performance to now and who has been working really hard and that's Katsuki and Ochako."

As the audience applauds, Katsuki feels the sigh of surprise and relief leave him more than hears it. The relief is short-lived, however, as Tess quickly moves on to Darcey, asking her for her opinion.

"For me there was one couple who definitely came through for the dance off," she says. "The performance was very clean and captured the spirit of the dance so I want to save Katsuki and Ochako."

Katsuki bites his lip, wanting to demand that they hurry it up but knowing that the suspense is all part of the spectacle. If one more of the judges decides to save them they'll be through, but if Bruno and (more importantly) Shirley both choose not to save them they'll be gone. Soon, Tess turns everyone's attention to Bruno for his decision.

"One of these performances was definitely an improvement on earlier," he says; Katsuki feels his heart pick up speed all over again. "I think one couple committed to their routine more now and really stepped up their game and for me it was Katsuki and Ochako."

Music plays and Ochako turns to pull Katsuki into a hug, both of them practically trembling with excitement and overwhelming relief and almost missing Shirley saying she would have voted to keep them too. They both get taken off to one side as the focus shifts to commiserations for the people leaving the competition (he still hasn't learned that smarmy blond's name), and once they're out of sight of the cameras, Katsuki pulls Ochako in for another hug.

"You okay?" she asks as they part again.

He nods. "Yeah, just... fuck, that was so scary."

"It is," she says. "It's no less nerve-wracking over time either." She considers him for a moment before giving him a little smile. "Well done for getting through it."

Katsuki swallows. "Couldn't have done it without you."

"I'm proud of you," she says simply.

* * *

After spending Sunday with Izuku, trying to avoid talking about the show and enjoying their remaining time together before Izuku flies back to Japan, Katsuki makes his way to the dance studio with a touch more reluctance than has become usual. There's a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, a feeling that repeats the number eighteen in his mind again and again despite them getting through to the next stage of the competition. When he pushes open the door to see Ochako there already—as always—he feels his heart sink a little.

"Hey," she greets him, coming over as he puts down his stuff. "How are you doing?"

"Uh..." He clears his throat. "I'm... I've been better."

Ochako's face falls a little. "You still upset over the scores?"

"I'm..." Katsuki hesitates, glancing over at the camera crew in the corner to check they're not actively filming him right now. "I'm still pissed I messed up so badly."

"Hey, shut up," she tells him, taking his hand. "You did your best and yeah it was hard and we had to dance again but you pulled it off for the dance off and it was a great performance."

There's no arguing with her when she looks at him like that, he knows: her gaze is... not hard exactly, but stubborn, resolute, and her grip on his hand is steady and warm. Though he's trying not to think about it too hard, he can't help but notice how nice it feels to hold her hand—and not as part of a routine. He clears his throat.

"Okay..."

They do a short interview to the cameras about making it through to another week and surviving the dance off. Katsuki doesn't give them the full range of his emotions; as far as he's concerned the audience doesn't get the privilege of seeing him like that. Once they're done Ochako starts to go over the beginnings of the choreography.

"It's a street dance so you can be a bit more relaxed about it," she explains, giving him a smile. "There's no hold or anything; you just have to stay on the beat."

"Okay..."

Katsuki knows he doesn't sound enthusiastic, even before Ochako tilts her head to one side, giving him an appraising look.

"You okay?" she asks. When he doesn't respond, she adds, "Put the waltz behind you, it's not worth still being hung up on."

"I know," mumbles Katsuki. "Just..." He sighs. "It's... hard not to think we might keep scoring badly, like what if I peaked at the paso?"

Ochako nods in understanding. "I get it," she says. "It's difficult to move on from a bad score like that, but I think you can do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she nods firmly. "And before you ask I'm not just saying it to make you feel better or because I'm supposed to or any of that shit—you know I wouldn't patronise you like that. I'm saying it because I believe in you."

Katsuki blinks. "Did you... just swear?"

Ochako rolls her eyes. "Shockingly enough I can," she replies. "Come on, we're still here and there's no point thinking about not being here so we should learn this dance."

Reasoning that she's not wrong, Katsuki follows her lead, starting to learn the dance. She said she thought he'd like this one, much as she did with the paso, and he soon finds that she's got a pretty good grasp of what kinds of routines he'll enjoy. The street dance is indeed more free in form; all his concentration goes on the timing, as she said it should, and he finds he enjoys learning isolation for different parts of his body.

Still, when he goes home at the end of the day, he finds the silence in the flat bothers him, feels too large for him to fill on his own. He'd call Izuku, but he's halfway back to Japan by now and won't be able to talk. Instead, he flicks through the TV, unable to settle on anything; he eventually finds himself half watching a show involving a lot of men with incomprehensible accents and flat caps who keep beating each other up, listlessly flicking through his phone.

The news articles he comes across there don't help. A lot of people are questioning the judges' decision to keep him and Ochako in the competition over the other couple, and once again he finds he's struggling to disagree. His performance was piss poor, and though he knows the dance off is judged separately from the rest of the competition (at least it's meant to be) he can't stop thinking about how much he messed up on the timing and how dreadful the performance looked. He's watched the original waltz back (even after both Izuku and Ochako told him not to) and found it almost as painful as dancing it in the first place.

* * *

Two days later, Katsuki knows the routine. He knows he knows it, and he knows he could perform it properly, but still...

"You just seem to be..." Ochako pauses, seeking the right word as she looks him up and down. "Kind of..."

"Down?" supplies Eijirou, who's been helping in the rehearsal today, from where he's sitting by the stereo.

"Yes," says Ochako, putting her hands on her hips and looking at Katsuki with her head to one side. "What's up?"

"It's nothing..."

"Are you still reading the news?" she asks. Katsuki hesitates for a little too long and she jumps back in. "I told you not to."

"Yeah I know."

"You don't normally seem to get like this," says Eijirou. "Usually you seem to bounce back fine."

"Normally I haven't had to deal with being in a dance off," shoots back Katsuki with the tiniest of scowls.

"Aha!" says Eijirou. "So it's not nothing then."

Katsuki rolls his eyes. "Whatever."

"Well we need to run it again," says Ochako. "Please can you put some more effort in?"

"I need a drink first," says Katsuki, sinking to sit on the floor and grab his water bottle.

"Fine, we'll take a short break then," agrees Ochako.

"Want a snack you guys?" asks Eijirou, getting up.

Katsuki grunts in affirmation and Ochako says "yes please" before Eijirou leaves the studio to visit the vending machines around the corner. For a long moment, the silence in the studio is broken only by the sound of the electric storage heater in the corner and both of them sipping their water, but then it seems Ochako can't keep quiet any longer.

"Is it nerves about the possibility of ending up in the dance off again?" she asks.

Katsuki suppresses a groan of frustration. "I don't know," he says. "I don't know why I can't just... I don't know, get over it."

With his gaze on the floor in front of him, Katsuki sees her sit down beside him out of his peripheral vision. For a long few seconds, she sits quietly, but when he lifts his eyes he meets hers, wide and warm as always.

"I'm sorry it's proving harder for you this week," she says softly. "I know the dance off is horrible—I've done it a lot over the years and it's never easy."

"But why can't I stop thinking about it?" he asks.

"I'm not sure," she says, reaching forward to put one hand on his shoulder. Though she's touched his shoulders (and his hands and his hips and his waist) plenty during dances and practice, he feels a strange warmth go through him at the contact. "You're not used to feeling worried are you?"

"No," admits Katsuki. "When I was training to be a pro hero I knew I was the shit."

Her lips pout a little in thought. "So it's because it's not something that comes naturally to you?"

"I guess," he says with a little shrug. Her hand stays on his shoulder.

"Do you remember during the first show," she asks, "when I said to you that I thought we could win it?"

"Yeah," he says. "Just after you said you stalked me online." He follows the statement with a little smile; thankfully she sees the joke and shoots him the tiniest grin.

"I still think that," she says. There's no questioning her on this: he can see from her face that she's totally sincere. "I know we can do this. We can see it through to the end and we can take that trophy, if you want to. You do want to, right?"

"Of course," he says.

"Then I need you to shake this off," she says. Her voice carries no anger, nothing but a determination and a genuine desire to win. "Remember you're here because you deserve to be and you're more than good enough to win this."

Katsuki meets her gaze again and finds himself unable to look away. In the relative quiet of the studio, time seems to slow for the two of them, the world centring around them for the briefest of moments. For one wild instant, Katsuki feels the urge to lean forward, to press his lips against hers...

But then the studio door bangs open again and suddenly Ochako's hand is no longer on his shoulder.

"What's up sluts," calls Eijirou. "The machine got stuck so I hit it and a load of stuff came out."

Though Ochako is still sitting rather closer to Katsuki than would usually be considered 'normal', Eijirou seems to be (thankfully) rather too dapsy to realise as he brings forth a pile of snacks from the machine. As they share the food and get back to practising, Katsuki's heart skips a little. Even when they run the routine again, Katsuki can't stop thinking about how close he and Ochako were. Was that smile on her face simple encouragement? Was she thinking along the same lines as him? More than any other question: if he had closed the distance between them and kissed her, what would she have done?

* * *

On Friday afternoon, Katsuki and Ochako get through a decidedly easier dress rehearsal. Between the freedom of the dance and the casual clothing, he feels far more relaxed, and he knows it shows. As they leave the floor to speak to the tech crew, they compliment the pair on the dance, saying that they seem to be 'back on form'. Ochako's answering grin is infectious.

On Saturday evening, the performance is the smoothest Katsuki has ever danced it and Ochako practically glows with pride. Not only that, but the comments from the judges are positive: the biggest criticism he gets is that he was a little too relaxed and slouchy on some parts. All four praise his timing and commitment to the dance and when he gets his scores (6, 7, 7, 8, a total of 28) he punches the air in triumph, Ochako hugging him around the middle and squealing in excitement. Compared to last week, Katsuki feels like he could take on the world.

* * *

Later, after watching the dance off and getting changed into his normal clothes, Katsuki leaves the changing room, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he goes. As he waves goodbye to the Wardrobe department, he sees a familiar figure lingering further down the corridor.

"Ochako?" he calls, prompting her to turn to look at him.

"Hey," she says, coming down the corridor to join him. "You heading off?"

"I was about to," he says as they fall into step together. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Yeah," she says with a little nod. "I wanted to catch up and let you know I'm really proud of you."

Katsuki's heart flutters in his chest; he squashes down the feeling. "Thanks—couldn't have done it without your choreography though."

Ochako shrugs. "Good choreography doesn't mean anything if someone can't deliver the routine. You feeling a bit happier?"

"Yeah I think my ego has been sufficiently stroked," he says with a little grin.

They make their way through the little labyrinth of the backstage parts of the studio, waving to people they pass, the numbers petering out until they're alone by the back doors. Just as Ochako goes to push them open, Katsuki finds himself putting out one hand to stop her.

"Hey, Ochako..."

She looks up at him, a little pink blush in her cheeks. "Yeah?"

Katsuki clears his throat. "I... just wanted to say thanks," he says. "For teaching me all this stuff and not... giving up on me."

She smiles. "That's okay," she says. "Thank you for being a good student."

Just like in the dance studio the other day, Katsuki finds he doesn't want to look away from her face. The only sounds he can hear are far off: techies calling to one another about cameras and lighting, Wardrobe bustling about with clothes rails, other dancers heading home too. For a long moment, neither of them move, but then—slowly and tentatively—they move closer, Ochako going up on her toes, Katsuki stooping slightly, until their faces are only inches apart. He realises faintly that he can see a fleck of yellow in each of her eyes, right by the pupils, before they close—or did he close his eyes first? It doesn't matter anyway, not when she's kissing him, or he's kissing her, their lips soft and curious.

It seems to last forever but be over too soon; they part on a little sigh, gazing at one another, and all Katsuki can hear is the thundering of his own heart in his ears.


	5. Chapter 5

When Katsuki wakes the following morning, it takes him a long moment to remember the events of last night, playing them back like a film in his mind. He recalls their dance, the scores, watching the other dances... and then, at the end of the night, kissing Ochako.

His heart picks up a little remembering the next kiss that followed the first, the soft press of her lips on his and how it felt to tuck his hand in at the curve of her waist to pull her close to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck to hold onto him and he felt her tongue swipe briefly along his lips. He nipped her bottom lip in response, tugging on it slightly, and felt her hand running through his hair. If they hadn't heard someone coming down the corridor towards them, Katsuki suspects that they might have stayed there for a lot longer together; as it was they bade quick goodbyes at that point, both leaving to go home, and Katsuki went to bed almost immediately.

He checks his phone now: aside from the usual notifications he doesn't see anything of note. Part of him wonders if he should have had some kind of message from Ochako... hopefully to give him some hope of them doing something like that again. Or she might tell him to get lost... no, despite not really making time for it, Katsuki knows kisses and no one could kiss someone like that without liking them just a bit, so she must have liked it. Then again, what if she's nervous about the idea of messaging him and he should message her first?

_Fuck me it's like I'm a fucking teenager again..._

With a groan of frustration, he gets up and goes to take a shower, reasoning that he'll be able to think better once he washes off any residual sweat from last night. It seems to work... until he sits on the sofa with his phone and finds he still hasn't had a message from Ochako.

Should he message her? Is she nervous to make the first move post-kiss or does she regret it and is trying to avoid him now? If so she's going to have a rude awakening tomorrow when they get together for rehearsal.

Eventually, Katsuki lets out a little huff of resignation and opens his messaging app. So far, his conversation window with Ochako is full of short little messages about rehearsals: one or both of them running late, her reminding him to practice short step sequences when he's alone, him telling her proudly about when he's achieved them. He looks through the messages now, biting his lip as he tries to figure out how to phrase his next message to her.

_"Hey Round Face thanks for last night, it was fun."_

No, too... dismissive. She might not like it being waved off as 'just a bit of fun'... Plus, the implication sounds like more than kissing.

_"Hey Cheeks are you okay?"_

No, still wrong—why wouldn't she be okay?

_"We should talk."_

Definitely not: that's way too serious and he'd hate to get a message like that from her.

For a while longer, Katsuki continues composing a message, trying to get the balance between casualness and seriousness. Eventually, he gets something he's half happy with and sends it before he can question it too much more:

[08:41] **KATSUKI**: Hey you busy today?

With the message sent, he purposefully puts his phone aside and starts flicking through TV channels in hopes of distracting himself. It doesn't really work: though the cooking show hosts try their best, Katsuki's mind simply won't settle on the television, instead continually coming back to his phone. How long has it been since he sent the message? Ten minutes? If she doesn't reply what does that mean?

He wakes his phone to check the time: 08:44. If anyone else were in his position he'd roll his eyes and then laugh at them for being ridiculous. As it is now, he groans to himself, putting his phone down again and burying his face in the sofa cushions.

_It's official: I am a giant fucking loser._

Somewhere in the haze of sofa cushion groaning, he hears a buzz and lifts his head to see his phone screen alight with a message.

[08:48] **OCHAKO**: I'm not no, we should probably talk about what happened last night.

. . .

Sorry, that sounds kind of serious and like I'm annoyed, I'm not, but we should probably talk.

Katsuki reads the messages over a couple of times before taking a deep breath and composing a reply:

[08:50] **KATSUKI**: Want to come over then?

[08:51] **OCHAKO**: Sure, send me the address. Is there a back entrance?

[08:52] **KATSUKI**: Yeah come from the river side, there's no road, the paps are all out front.

[08:53] **OCHAKO**: I'll be there in about half an hour.

Finally able to breathe again, Katsuki puts his phone down once more. He knows she's trying to avoid any tabloid journalists seeing her going to his; he's seen coverage from previous years of contestants and their partners getting involved—often adulterously—and how bad the fallout from something like that can be on the competition. Reasoning that he should probably tidy up a little, Katsuki gets up off the sofa to do a quick run around the flat. He's generally pretty neat, but in the last week he's been so busy that certain things have been a little neglected: a pair of socks by the sofa, some dishes left out on the side rather than in the sink, a t-shirt he threw in the direction of the laundry basket but which didn't quite make it. Though he knows it's unlikely for her to be that bothered about the state of the place, he would still prefer not to have her think he lives like some kind of pig.

By the time she arrives half an hour later, the place is decidedly neater, but Katsuki can feel his heart racing in his chest.

"Hey," he says, irritated at the breathy sound in his voice. He clears his throat. "How you doing?"

"I'm okay," she replies, hanging up her coat on a hook and turning back to look at him. "You?"

"Uh... yeah, I'm fine."

For a moment, they stand in silence, but when their gazes meet, she grins sheepishly.

"God we're a right pair," she giggles. "Shall we sit down?"

Katsuki nods, following her through to the sofa and sitting down with her.

"So.." Ochako begins, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "We..."

"We kissed," supplies Katsuki, his heart skipping on the admission.

"We did," she agrees, looking thoughtful for a moment before adding, "Just so you know, it's not something I make a habit of. I've never kissed a dance partner before."

"Right," says Katsuki. "I haven't either... but then you're my first dance partner."

Ochako laughs, the sound dispelling a little bit of the tension lodged in Katsuki's chest. "Right..."

"Um... do you..." Katsuki hesitates on the wording. "You're not... already involved with anyone are you?

"Oh god, no!" Ochako shakes her head vehemently. "No, definitely not. If I were that would never have happened."

"Thank fuck for that," sighs Katsuki.

"I take it you're not either?" she asks.

"No," he admits. "I don't really leave myself much time for it normally. You kind of... snuck up on me."

Ochako seems to consider him for a moment before giving him another little smile. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you kiss me?"

Katsuki pauses in thought, trying to wade through his twist of emotions to figure out the answer. "Because I wanted to."

"Same." A pleased flush comes into Ochako's cheeks and Katsuki can't keep in a little grin at the sight.

"I kind of want to kiss you again now," he says, the words not unintentional but certainly helped by that little blush, which deepens further.

"What's..." She swallows. "What's stopping you?"

"Do _you_ want me to?"

With a nod, Ochako shuffles nearer to him on the sofa and leans in, closing the distance between them in another kiss. Katsuki feels his breath taken away: he didn't realise how much he was aching to kiss her again until now. Instinctively he wraps his arms around her and she moves closer still, her body pressing into his, and he opens his lips to tentatively run his tongue along the seam of her lips. When she opens her mouth too, touching her tongue to his, he feels almost dizzy with how good it feels. By the time they part for breath, Katsuki's heart is racing in exhilaration and Ochako's lips are pink and kiss swollen. As their gazes meet, she lets out a breathless laugh.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Yeah," she nods. "Just... that was nice."

"It was," he agrees, cupping her face in both his hands and feeling her warm cheeks against his palms. For a moment, he gazes into her eyes before saying, "You're really pretty."

Her face flushes pink once more. "Shut up and kiss me again."

The following day in rehearsal, when Ochako tells him they're dancing an Argentine tango, Katsuki frowns.

"But we did one of those," he says.

"We did a tango," she says with a little grin. "This is an Argentine tango."

"What does it matter what country a tango comes from?" he asks. "Isn't it still a tango?"

Ochako giggles. "I'm getting salsa flashbacks."

"Well why do all these dances have the same name?"

She laughs again and Katsuki throws a glance at the camera crew, in the corner as usual. Since arriving, he's been trying to be careful about how much affection he shows her in front of them, and part of him is still nervy about their presence and what they might have seen or recorded. From their demeanour—impassive as usual—Katsuki can deduce they haven't noticed anything, but he knows he's still going to be a little cautious around him.

Rehearsal itself feels better again: Katsuki has realised how receptive he is to feedback and scores, and getting a good score for the street dance (and not having to face the dance off again) has brought his spirits up again. Despite the initial confusion over the dance (Katsuki still thinks it's stupid for the two tangos to have different names but whatever), the two of them get on with learning it in good time. Ochako explains the differences between this and the normal tango—much of the movement they'll be doing will be below the waist, there are more stationary parts where they'll be doing tighter, more precise movements together, the hold is close where the tango maintained a distance between them.

Even with the warning, Katsuki is surprised with the precision and speed of the leg movements they do. The music they're using is fairly mid-tempo but he finds himself almost skipping on his toes in some bits of the routine, and while he's been able to get up to speed on other routines fairly quickly, they have to repeat the slow versions many times before he can get it straight in his head. Still, Katsuki perseveres, breaking the movements down in his head into shorter sequences and stringing those together to form the routine. Remembering how to do it on the beat is like playing a clapping game in kindergarten, one wrong move of his hands—or, in this case, his feet—resulting in a frustrated groan and having to start over.

Another thing he doesn't expect is to be taken aback, but when they're in hold after completing a lift Ochako says, "Okay, good, so stay in this position and on the next beat I'll hook my leg through yours."

"You're hooking your where in a what now?!" Katsuki asks in surprise, pulling back.

"It's called an overturned gancho, and you'll be doing it back too," she says, a little smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Look, it goes like this..."

She demonstrates, indeed hooking one leg around one of his, and he can't keep his spine from stiffening just a little. The press of their thighs together feels shockingly intimate after all the weeks of routines in strict ballroom holds; even having her hands on his hips during samba and salsa training and routines felt totally different from how he feels now. He doesn't even want to imagine how he would feel if they hadn't kissed and his desire to do so were still rolling around inside him. As it is, when she meets his gaze and smiles secretively he lets out a shaky breath and hopes the interaction wasn't caught on camera.

"Okay cool, what next?"

* * *

By Wednesday afternoon, after camera crew have finished with them for the day, Katsuki is fairly confident with the routine and they're working on perfecting their lines and flourishes in the mirror. He stands, minding the shape his body creates in silhouette, as Ochako, in hold, swings her leg back and forth in her boleos. In the mirror, her legs make sharp lines, shapely muscles peeking out from the cropped leggings she wears, and Katsuki drinks in the sight, his hold tightening around her again as she steps closer once more, transitioning into the colgada and volcada.

"Watch your head," Ochako says as he lifts her up just a little and spins so that the tips of her toes skim the floor. "You're looking down."

"Enjoying the view," Katsuki can't resist commenting with a little smirk as he puts her down again and they move into gauchos and engaches.

He no longer feels so flustered about Ochako's leg hooking onto his; rather he finds he's quite enjoying having her so close, especially when she raises an eyebrow at him before they move onto the next steps. When they hit the ending pose, Ochako slung over Katsuki's front with one leg hooked over his hip, they grin at one another.

"That was good," she says, her face close enough to his for him to feel her breath on his cheek.

"Thanks," he replies. "You're pretty good yourself."

Ochako raises an eyebrow at him but then laughs as they break the hold. "Are you enjoying the routine?"

"I am yeah," says Katsuki, only slightly surprised at the admission. "It's a good routine."

A little not quite smirk crosses Ochako's features. "Because we get to dance like this?" She waves a hand between them to indicate the closeness between them while dancing; Katsuki shrugs.

"Be lying if I said that's not a reason," he admits with his own little smirk, tipping his head to one side to look at her pointedly. "You're not exactly complaining about it yourself."

With a little chuckle, Ochako steps closer to him again. "I'm not, it's nice."

Katsuki lowers his head, brushing her nose with his own, and she goes up on her toes slightly to turn the movement into a chaste little kiss, her lips soft and inviting. The first kiss is followed by more; soon Katsuki finds himself with her arms around his waist and one of his hands in her hair. He can feel her pulse in her neck as he cups the back of her head and the tightening of her fingers in the fabric of his t-shirt as she opens her mouth and slips her tongue past his lips. A low groan starts in his chest, rolling up into his throat and into the kiss as he responds in kind, trying to get her as weak at the knees as he feels right now. It seems to work: she sighs into his lips, soon pulling back and fluttering her eyes open to look at him.

"We should... get back to practising," she says breathlessly, her cheeks pink and a grin still on her face.

"Probably," agrees Katsuki, resting their foreheads together.

"We should probably also be careful just in case anyone were to turn up," she adds.

Katsuki sighs, brows furrowing as his stomach gives a little hiccup. "Yeah, probably."

"Just while we're here," she says. "Or at the TV studio."

"Yeah," he agrees, running one hand through her hair again. Though he doesn't want to let go of her, he allows himself one more kiss to the tip of her nose before straightening and stepping back, clearing his throat. "From the top again?"

She nods. "Yeah, make sure you pay attention to your facial expression."

* * *

Katsuki has never been the type to kiss and tell, so thus far he hasn't told Izuku anything about Ochako. Though he's been meaning to talk to her about how they should proceed with what they're doing—if they can even figure out what they're doing—he finds that he gets a little... distracted when they have time to spend just with one another. When he signed up to the show, he never could have predicted that anything like this would happen, but he can't regret it in the slightest, especially not when every kiss they share makes him want more, quickening his pulse under his skin.

More often than not, the two of them end up going for dinner after rehearsals, and when they're out somewhere Katsuki has to keep in mind the possibility of people seeing them together—paparazzi and the public alike. Though he'd like to take her hand while they talk, or kiss her (even just on the cheek or forehead), he resists the urge, consciously putting up his usual stoic mask to throw off any potential spectators. Ochako seems to be holding back too, if their interactions when they get time to be alone together are any indication: one evening they barely make it inside her door before she pushes him into the wall, making herself float a couple of inches off the floor to kiss him. Her kiss is as hungry as he feels; it almost sweeps him away with its urgency. Her arms curl around his neck and he wraps his around her waist, pulling her flush against himself.

When they part it's reluctantly, with racing pulses and arms still tight around each other. Katsuki gazes into Ochako's eyes, darker than usual but sparking with excitement, and knows his own must look the same. As they take in each other's faces, both panting a little for breath, Ochako bites her lip.

"Sorry, I got a little... carried away."

"Don't apologise," says Katsuki. "I'm not complaining."

He puts her down, letting himself run his hands down her back and tentatively over her backside, enjoying the feeling of her curves in his grip. He's held her here before—in lifts and holds—but never outside of a dance or rehearsals. Did she always feel this soft and warm?

A hand on Katsuki's cheek brings him back to himself and Ochako cocks an eyebrow at him. "Having fun?"

Katsuki nods. "Yeah, sorry, just... it's nice."

Ochako grins. "Thanks."

"Is this okay?"

"Yeah, feels good."

They steal more kisses until they're interrupted by the sound of Katsuki's stomach growling and Ochako can't keep from giggling. Though she tries to stop in the interest of continuing, it seems once she's caught the giggles she can't stop laughing, and so they part to make dinner.

* * *

On Saturday the atmosphere in the studio is electric, the air around them all buzzing with excitement. With the competition getting to the halfway point, all the couples are putting in a great deal of work and the standard has been getting steadily higher each week. While they have been generally getting better each week (disregarding their waltz of course), Katsuki and Ochako still haven't broken 30 in their scores, and with other couples still here having done so, Katsuki is starting to feel the pressure. While others might struggle with that feeling, Katsuki welcomes it, letting it galvanise his desire to win and feed the fire inside him. Ochako, too, seems determined; if they make it through this week they'll be going to Blackpool next week and Katsuki knows how badly she wants to make it. He's curious to see the ballroom there, given how much everyone around them is carrying on about it, and though part of him still worries about the possibility of not making it through, he knows he can't listen to that right now. All that matters is their tango, and the fiercely determined look in Ochako's eyes as he takes her hand and they head out onto the floor.

Ninety seconds flies by; Katsuki's concentrating so hard on the movements of his legs and the attitude of the dance that when it ends and the sound of the music is replaced with the roar of the crowd, he has to blink as he comes back to himself. He's grinning madly, he knows, and Ochako is too as they go to get their feedback. Most of it is positive (though, as always, Craig finds something to criticise; in this case Katsuki's posture) and when Shirley says she could kiss him for getting his toe leads so sharp, Katsuki responds with a deadpan "please don't," which raises a laugh from the audience. Afterwards, the two of them beam as the scores come in: 7, 8, 7, 9, a total of 31.

Katsuki punches the air in victory: they finally broke 30! His legs feel almost wobbly underneath him, but the effort was totally worth it. The rest of the chat with Claudia in the green room is a breathless blur of excitement where all Katsuki can think of is how proud he hopes Ochako is, how happy she'll be that they're going to Blackpool. His heart thumps hard in his chest, his pulse racing with the thrill of the good score.

After the show is over and another couple has left, Katsuki finds himself wandering backstage, heading towards the back door from the toilet, when he almost collides with Ochako.

"Oh hey!" she grins, a bright smile coming to her face. "I hoped to find you."

"Yeah?" he asks, his heart giving a hopeful little flip.

"Yeah," she says. "Well done tonight."

"Thanks," says Katsuki. "You were great too."

A pleased flush comes into Ochako's cheeks and she squeezes his hands. "Thank you for getting us to Blackpool."

With an attempt at a casual shrug, Katsuki replies, "I know how important it is to you."

Ochako puts her arms around his waist in a tight hug and Katsuki hugs her back. A runner walks past them, her walkie talkie crackling urgently, and Katsuki waits until she's gone before kissing the top of Ochako's head.

"I can't wait to show you the rumba," Ochako says.

"I look forward to learning it."


	6. Chapter 6

With the show taking place in Blackpool this weekend, Katsuki knows almost a full day of their time will be sacrificed to travelling up there, so when he arrives at the dance studio on Monday morning he's eager to get started as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the ever-helpful camera crew are running late.

"Can't we just get started anyway?" he asks Ochako after an extended warm up.

She pulls out her phone, checking the time. "They should be here in a few minutes, we might as well wait."

With an annoyed grumble, Katsuki slopes back to the centre of the room, facing the wide mirror. "Fuckers should be here on time if they want to get their fucking shots."

"To be fair, it sounds like the lens on their camera blew up so they couldn't get shots with that," she explains, following him. Though the weather outside is characteristically gloomy, the heater in the studio is turned up and Ochako wears a pair of shorts that show off the majority of her shapely dancer's legs; Katsuki can't take his eyes off them. When she moves behind him, he follows her progress in the mirror. "We can talk about the rumba if you want though."

"Alright, hit me," he says.

Ochako cuts a sideways glance and little smile towards him in the mirror. "Well the rumba is a slower, more emotive dance," she explains, walking slowly around him. Occasionally her gaze flicks to Katsuki's face in the mirror, seemingly to check that he's still watching her—as if he could look away. "The couple dances close together and the steps are pretty compact, with a lot of hip sways."

"Right," says Katsuki, his eyes dragging over her figure in the mirror.

"It's kind of sensual in the right routine," she adds lightly, a little smile coming to her face. "One of those 'vertical expression of horizontal desires' dances."

His mouth suddenly very dry, Katsuki swallows. "I see."

Ochako's smile turns wider. "You'll have to be a bit more sensitive in this one, but still powerful. Think you can handle it?"

"Uh..." Katsuki clears his throat, returning his gaze to her face. "Yeah, probably."

"Good."

Ochako's fingers touch his arm, bringing up goosebumps in their wake as though electrically charged, and Katsuki catches her wrist with one hand, turning to look at her. Her big eyes meet his, warm brown and inviting, but as he bends to kiss her, they hear the door bang open with the arrival of the camera crew. Thankfully, Ochako is quick to change the angle of her head to make their poses look like part of a routine. The crew apologise for their lateness and get set up while Katsuki helps Ochako retrieve chairs for their 'talking to the camera' bits. The tension that hung in the air between them is still there, but pushed to one side like a filmy curtain while they deal with other people. Katsuki can feel it hanging behind him but gets on with the interview and when Ochako starts teaching him the dance, with the cameras following those first steps, he has to tell himself to keep it in check until they can be alone again.

* * *

The rumba proves to be strangely easy and hard in equal measure. The basic step is no real challenge to pick up, but Katsuki's hips are still a reluctant party and swaying them to Ochako's satisfaction proves tricky.

"Stop being so rigid," she chides—another variant of what she's been saying all day—towards the end of Tuesday. "You know the steps, now you need to lean into it more."

"Yeah I know," grumbles Katsuki, trying to let go of some of the tension in his frame. He moves in counter balance to her, sweeping her across the floor in his arms, and is rewarded with a smile.

"There," she says, nodding as she sways against him.

Her body is equally soft and hard against his, strong muscles under smooth skin, and warm through their clothes. Every part of him wants to forget the routine, to pull her against him and kiss her, to run his fingers through her hair and sigh into her mouth—somehow he keeps his cool and gets through the rest of the run through of the routine. It's still not perfect and Ochako still gives him some critique afterwards, but judging by the light flush in her cheeks and the little smile still playing about the corners of her lips, she knows what he's thinking (and might just be thinking the same). However she clears her throat and gives him a gentle prod in the chest.

"Once more—really focus on your arms this time."

* * *

Early on Wednesday morning, the two of them take the coach up to Blackpool with their remaining fellow competitors and other pro dancers. After an accident on one of the main roads up, the journey is long and slow and after some time Katsuki looks up from his phone to see that almost everyone else has fallen asleep. Up the front, Iida is still chatting to the driver about the road conditions and traffic, and he can see Mina and Eijirou playing something on one of their Switches, but other than that the coach is quiet. He turns to Ochako, sitting beside him, to find her half dozing, gazing down the coach to watch the road up ahead—or rather, the tail-lights queued up in front of them. With one last quick glance at the rest of the coach, he reaches out and strokes a light finger across the back of her hand and she blinks, looking at him.

"Sorry—I was miles away," she says softly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just you looked bored," he says.

"Oh no, I'm having a whale of a time," she says with a little smile. "I just love sitting in endless traffic jams when we're supposed to be up there by now and practising."

"We'll still have enough time to perfect the routine right?"

Ochako nods. "Yeah, we'll be fine—you know the routine so we're just making it perfect now, and if need be we can just pull all night rehearsals."

"Can we really?"

Ochako's eyebrows rise a little and she giggles. "No, I'm kidding—you'd be exhausted."

"We've stayed up pretty late before though haven't we?"

Katsuki knows the tease has got to her when her pink cheeks grow pinker, the colour spreading across her nose like ink in water. "We have yeah."

Feeling daring, Katsuki leans in a little closer, leaving a kiss to her cheek. "You're cute."

Ochako flushes further, lacing her fingers with his and squeezing his hand. "Behave you."

"Or what?" Katsuki's face is close to hers and his whispering breath fans across her cheek, disturbing a couple of fine strands of hair. When her eyes meet his he gives her a little smirk and she raises her eyebrows again.

"Or I'll make you do that waltz again in the final," she says; Katsuki's face falls.

"You wouldn't."

Ochako giggles, her voice low. "Don't test me Mr Pro Hero." With a quick glance up and down the coach, she leans in to leave a short kiss to his lips. "I'm sure we can find some time to ourselves while we're there."

Smirking again, Katsuki steals another quick kiss. "I hope so."

* * *

Once they reach Blackpool, the rest of the day disappears in a flurry of getting their rooms and being shown to the ballroom and rehearsal studios. Everything gets filmed for the show and Katsuki has to go record extra things on top of that—by the time they get to do some actual practice, it's already late and they don't get much time before they have to stop for the night.

In the morning, both Katsuki and Ochako are keen to get some good rehearsal time in, but they find themselves called away again to film some more stuff for the show. Katsuki barely hides his frustration about it and even Ochako tries to hurry the camera crew up in the interest of getting away again. When they do finally make it to rehearsal, they go hard, running the routine as much as they possibly can in the time they get. They're in their rhythm now: Katsuki knows what Ochako expects from him and she knows how to get him to do it, plus judging by the grin on her face the routine is coming together how she imagined. Katsuki can't help preening with pride every time she praises him, can't keep from feeling his heart swell when she looks at him or her body moves alongside his.

By the end of rehearsal, he's exhausted. He flops to the floor with a heavy sigh, panting to catch his breath and taking up his water bottle to chug from it. Ochako leans against the corner of the wall, using the angle of it to cheat at a wall sit, and gives him an appraising look.

"So, dress rehearsals tomorrow," she says. Katsuki nods, still drinking his water. "You feel ready?"

Katsuki nods again, pulling off the water bottle to add, "We're going to fucking smash it."

Ochako grins; Katsuki knows by now that she loves it when he's confident about the dances. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, we're going to be in the top fucking three."

With a soft chuckle, Ochako sips her own water. "This might be my favourite rumba I've ever done."

"Really?"

"Yep." Her cheeks are pink from the exercise and exhilaration both. "I can't wait to perform it with you."

"Same."

Ochako gives him another grin before straightening and stretching, letting out a little groan as her shoulders quietly click. "I think I'm going to go take a shower before we leave."

Katsuki nods, thinking of the shower rooms at the back of the dance studio they're using for the days they're here. "Sounds like a good plan if you're feeling gross."

"You want to take one too?"

Katsuki resists the urge to say something suggestive and shrugs. "I might, might just wait until we get back to the hotel."

"Up to you."

Ochako grabs her bag, taking it with her to the showers, and Katsuki pulls out his phone. The sound of the shower running comes down the corridor towards him as he scrolls through Twitter, mostly seeing stuff about the competition and the upcoming show in the famous Blackpool ballroom. It's strange to see his feed so different from usual, so dedicated to dance now where before it was all pro heroes.

He only has a brief time to wonder on it before he hears Ochako cough in the shower and lifts his head to roll his neck. Looking up, he sees a flash of bright pink in his vision and feels his eyebrows rise: it's Ochako's towel, still sitting neatly by where her bag was before. He pushes himself to his feet, crossing to his bag to drop his phone into it and take up the towel.

"Oi Cheeks you left your towel here," he calls as he heads down the corridor towards the showers. There is no change to the sounds coming from within so he stops outside and knocks on the ajar door. "Ochako?"

Now that he's closer he can hear her humming, the sound blending with the rush and splash of water, and sighs to himself, toeing off his shoes and pulling off his socks as he pushes the door open to walk into the room.

What he sees inside makes him stop in his tracks: Ochako clearly didn't expect to be disturbed in here, given that she hasn't bothered to pull shut the curtains around the shower head she stands under. Soap suds roll down her back from her hair as she rinses the shampoo out, down to her flared hips and her (absolutely fucking perfect) backside. For a long moment, Katsuki stands gaping at her naked body, unable to move, until she glances over her shoulder and jumps in surprise.

"Katsuki?!"

Her hands move automatically to cover herself, but having turned towards him when she spotted him she's already shown him everything and he can feel the blood rushing to his face... and elsewhere.

"Sorry," he manages to get out. "You left... yo-your towel, i-in the other room, so I... I brought it but... but you didn't hear me."

Katsuki doesn't remember the last time he stammered in his life—maybe when he was a kid—but now he stumbles over his words, trying desperately not to stare at Ochako's figure even as his eyes move traitorously downwards to where the water still runs over her skin, soap suds slowly trailing down her body to the tiled floor.

"Uh... just hang it up over there." She nods to a hook on the wall and Katsuki does as instructed, hanging it up for her. As he crosses back to the door, she adds, "Thanks."

"No problem." He can feel his face still blazing hot even as he continues trying not to look at her. The air around them feels charged, electric, and he knows he should get out of the shower room before that feeling overwhelms him. "I'll just... I'll go wait."

Just as he reaches for the door again, he hears Ochako giggle softly and turns to look at her.

"What?"

"Nothing, just..." She chuckles again. "I've never seen you look so embarrassed."

Unsure how to respond, Katsuki clears his throat. "Just trying not to embarrass you."

An unreadable expression crosses Ochako's face before she lets her hands drop, revealing her body entirely. Katsuki promptly feels his face heat up afresh and she giggles again. "You're cute."

"Shut the fuck up," Katsuki glowers.

"Or what?"

The words drag Katsuki back to yesterday on the coach, when he said the same thing to her. Looking back into her face, he sees a smirk there and knows she's thinking the same. He lets his gaze linger on her now, taking in her high breasts and tight waist, her smooth skin and wet hair.

"Or something might happen."

"Something?" She tilts her chin to one side, a coy little curl to the corner of her mouth.

The dam of Katsuki's resolve is straining, threatening to burst the longer he stands here with his feet growing wet and his body aching for her. It doesn't help that her face is goading him into it, as well as her posture. He thinks irresistibly of practice earlier this week when he held her tight against him and could feel every line of her body, of times they've been together after rehearsals with racing pulses and desire in every little hitch of breath, how badly he's wanted her and known he wasn't alone in feeling that way.

And then... Ochako bites her lip, letting her eyes sweep over him before meeting his gaze again, the flame in her eyes catching and sparking, beckoning him, and the dam bursts.

In a few long strides he crosses the room to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply. Ochako kisses him back, winding her arms around his neck and standing on tip toe as the water on her body soaks into the front of his clothes. The feeling barely registers with him; all he can think of is her tongue against his own, the racing of her heart under her skin, the soft sounds she's gasping into his mouth. He feels dizzy on her, his head spinning and giddy as she runs her fingers through his hair and tilts her head to one side in an effort to deepen the kiss further. Sliding his hands down her body to feel every curve and contour, Katsuki is rewarded with another soft hum into his mouth and grabs her by the thighs to lift her in his arms. She takes the hint, wrapping her legs tight around his hips and breaking the kiss to take a breath.

"Katsuki," she sighs as he takes the opportunity to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck. When his teeth graze over her pulse point, she lets out a little groan and he steps forward, backing her into the tiled wall under the shower head. He pins her to the wall with his hips as water pours over them, running his hands up and down her thighs and lowering his head to kiss along her wet collarbone. Her skin tastes like sweat where she hasn't washed off the day yet, salty under the water and warm.

He feels her hands on his back, tugging at his tank top and peeling it off him before dropping it to the floor where it soon soaks with water. Neither of them pays it the slightest attention: Katsuki is too busy sinking his tongue into the dip at Ochako's clavicle where water has collected. She runs her hands over his shoulders and down his back, seemingly mapping out the muscles there and sighing softly into his hair. Every touch from her sends tingles through his body and he resists the urge to nip at her skin; instead he lowers his head further, kissing down one breast to her nipple and flicking his tongue across it to draw another gasp from her.

"Oh my god," she moans, unable to keep from clutching at Katsuki harder, nails dragging across his skin. He hisses at the sensation before sucking on her nipple and smirking to himself as she whimpers and clutches at him again. "Sh... shit."

"That feel good?" he growls against her skin, getting a nod in response. When he grazes his teeth over her nipple she lets out a choked groan and he moves his attention to the other. He kneads her backside with his hands and she rolls her hips into his in response; Katsuki can't keep in a low groan of his own as he feels the friction against his clothed erection.

"Fuck..." He straightens, kissing her again and grinding his hips into hers to make her squeal into his lips. "You're fucking gorgeous."

"Please don't stop," she gasps, her voice almost lost in the rush of water over them. "Please..."

"What do you want me to do?" he asks, pulling back a little to look into her eyes: her pupils are wide, her irises dark and wanting.

"Please fuck me," she whispers, tightening her legs around him.

"You sure?"

She nods. "I have a coil—please."

"Okay, hold on tight."

He reaches down and shoves his bottoms and boxers to the flooded floor, kicking them to one side before putting his arms around her again. Clinging to him with one arm, she reaches down between them with her other hand to stroke his cock. A stifled gasp leaves him and he kisses her once more as he feels her lining the head of his cock up between her legs. With a little thrust, he sinks inside her and the two of them moan together.

"Oh fuck," Ochako sighs as he rolls his hips, starting slow and relishing the little whimpers she lets out. "Katsuki..."

"You feel so fucking good," he groans; she's so hot that he feels like he might melt. "So fucking wet..."

"Faster," she implores, pushing against the wall to try and urge him into it. "Please Katsuki..."

"Well since you asked so nicely..."

Katsuki starts moving his hips faster, thrusting Ochako into the wall as she throws her head back and whines, her back arching. The sounds of their moans bounce off the walls and floor, echoing as Katsuki speeds up his movements further. On reflection, it's a good thing that they ended up in the lone dance studio while everyone else is in another building; at first Ochako said they had drawn the short straw being so far from everyone else but Katsuki suspects she might be taking that back just a little. She lets out a louder moan at a particularly hard thrust from him, toes curling and legs tightening around him.

"Ka... Katsuki!" she gasps, her voice wavering with the force of his thrusts into the shower wall.

"You're so fucking sexy," he breathes against the wet skin of her neck, hands pressing in hard on her hips. "Wanted to do this for ages."

"I did too," she admits, her voice a whimper. "Oh fuck, please..."

Katsuki slips one hand between them to seek out her clit, flicking it gently with his thumb and getting a pleasured squeal in response. Ochako's cries get louder and higher in pitch, words melting together as Katsuki keeps stroking her clit in time with his thrusts. The feeling of her body shuddering against his and the tight heat fluttering around his cock makes him groan in pleasure too and he redoubles his efforts, desperate to push her over the edge.

"Katsuki!" she cries out as she comes, clenching hard around his cock and her limbs tight around him. That combined with the look on her gorgeous face—eyes unfocused, cheeks flushed, mouth open and debauched—has him quickly following suit, his cock twitching as he comes inside her.

They stay there for a while, exchanging slower kisses as they come down from the high, Ochako's body twitching with aftershocks. When her breathing has slowed, Ochako lets out a breathless chuckle.

"Wow," she sighs.

"You're damn right," Katsuki agrees.

Slowly they separate and Ochako lowers herself to the floor, Katsuki helping her get steady on her feet before straightening again himself and holding out one hand to the water still raining down.

"Guess we should clean up," he suggests, stepping back into the flow and gently tugging on Ochako's hands to join him.

"You brought other clothes with you right?" she asks, one hand moving down to sluice her inner thighs.

Katsuki freezes. "Only a top."

"Oh dear." Ochako bites her lip on a grin. "We'll have to dry your clothes out under the hand dryers."

Katsuki slips one hand around her waist, pulling her into an embrace and resting his chin on her head. "Worth it."

* * *

Even though Katsuki was rather cynical about how special dancing in Blackpool would be, he has to admit that when he dances the rumba with Ochako on Saturday night, the air around them feels different to usual. Yes, the ballroom here is beautiful, and yes the floor is springy and dynamic to dance on, but it's something more than that: something to do with the look on Ochako's face as they dance makes Katsuki ensure every step, every swing of his hips and every arc of his arm is precise. When they finish the dance, faces inches apart, the crowd seems to still for just a moment before the cheers and applause ring out. The feedback is breathless and excited from all but Craig, but even he has only minor corrections for them, and when they get the scores, Katsuki gapes. With 8, 10, 9, 10 they not only get their first 10 of the series, but also top the leader board. Ochako's arms lock around his waist as the cheers deafen them, and she can't seem to stop squeaking in excitement.

"I'm so proud of him!" she tells Claudia when asked. "He's working so hard and this was such a great routine to perform here and..." She looks up at Katsuki and he meets her eyes. For a brief moment, he struggles against the impulse to bend down and kiss her; instead he tightens his arm around her shoulders and returns her grin as she finishes, "Well done."

* * *

The journey home is decidedly easier than the trip up to Blackpool, though many on the bus are nursing hangovers this time around and the only one sleeping is Ochako, leaning her head on Katsuki's shoulder as he scrolls through his phone. Soon, a head of red spiky hair appears over the top of the seat in front of him.

"She tired?" asks Eijirou; Katsuki nods, careful not to disturb her.

"She got excited and stayed up late thinking about the next routines," Katsuki says quietly. "I had to order her to go to bed in the end." He leaves out the bit where he kissed her to quiet her and wrestled her under the covers. "Sounds like we're doing a charleston next."

Eijirou whistles. "As well as the jive-a-thon? You guys are going to be exhausted."

"Eijiii," Mina grumbles from across the aisle, a large pair of sunglasses covering half her face. "No whistling, it hurts."

"Sorry," Eijirou grins sheepishly.

Against Katsuki's side, Ochako shifts just a little and he gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"They're both pretty intense dances from what she said," he says.

"They're both fast and bouncy," says Eijirou, "so they're going to be tiring to run over and over back to back."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," says Katsuki, and Eijirou grins.

"It should be for Mr Top of the Leader Board," he says, making Katsuki give him a little smile in return.


	7. Chapter 7

Eijirou wasn't kidding about the charleston: after only a quick demonstration from Ochako and some explanation of the routine, Katsuki is already tired. After spending ten minutes swivelling on the balls of his feet and nothing else, his calves are starting to ache and he desperately wants to move on to something more. Ochako, however, is insistent that he get the basic movement right before she shows him anything else.

"Oh come on!" he grumbles when she corrects the movement again, telling him to bring his heels in more. "Feet don't go in a parallel line!"

She chuckles and goes into first ballet position, pushing her heels forward so her feet look almost like they could start pointing backwards. "They don't?"

He frowns at her feet and then at her shit eating grin. "Normal human feet don't."

"I'm not human then?"

"No you're clearly a demon," he grumbles, bobbing up and down on the spot as he keeps moving his feet as instructed. She giggles again, going back to watching his feet.

"There, like that," she says. "Every step in this dance is going to involve doing this with your heels, every time you step forward or back you swivel. Does that make sense?"

"Maybe if you let me try it it will make more sense," he mutters, speeding up his movements a little.

"Not when you're speeding up and getting sloppy." She taps him on the back. "Slow down."

Reluctantly he obeys. "I thought this was a fast dance."

"It is," she says airily. "But you need to get it right before you can do it at speed."

"I thought we'd moved on from this and I was getting better."

"You are—just this is a different kind of movement to anything else we've done before." Ochako watches his feet a little longer. "Plus the judges are sticklers for swivels being done right, especially Craig."

Katsuki sighs; clearly she's determined to make him do this until his feet fall off at the ankles.

* * *

Swivels quickly prove to be Katsuki's least favourite part of the charleston. Ochako is quick to point out when he's not swivelling enough, barking at him to bring his heels in more and stay on the balls of his feet. He simply grunts in response each time, doing his best to do as she asks. After one run through of the routine—still not at full speed, to Katsuki's great displeasure—Ochako turns to him.

"What do you think?" she asks.

"I think this dance is ridiculous," he says flatly, grabbing his water bottle and drinking from it. "It fucking hurts."

"Ankles?"

"Ankles, calves, it's all painful."

"Fair," she says, fanning her face with one hand and gazing up at him. "Any chance you could smile while you're performing though?"

Katsuki glowers, putting down the bottle. "I'll fucking get there, my ankles are corrugated from all this bullshit and it doesn't exactly put me in a good fucking mood."

"Oh don't be so dramatic," Ochako chuckles. "I was kidding."

"Are you this mean to all your dance partners?"

"Only the ones who can take it." She reaches up, booping the end of his nose with one fingertip and grinning. "You're cute when you're all grumpy."

Katsuki can't resist slipping his free arm around her, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "You're always cute."

Ochako giggles, arms around his waist. "Even when I'm being mean and telling you off?"

"Yeah, I like it," he says. "You're all sexy and in charge."

Ochako lifts her head and he lowers his, brushing his lips along hers in a soft kiss that she returns, her arms tightening around his waist. A little sigh leaves her, humming against his mouth as he cards through her hair with one hand and pulls it from its ponytail. Katsuki can hear his heart racing in his ears and feel her breath coming faster as he opens his mouth to nibble gently on her lower lip.

"Well well well!"

The sudden voice makes Ochako jump, leaping back from Katsuki with a gasp. He straightens too, looking over to the door to see Eijirou leaning against the door frame with a wide grin.

"Please don't stop on my account, you looked like you were having fun," he says, folding his arms across his broad chest and clearly trying not to laugh.

"Have you heard of knocking?" Ochako grumbles.

"Sure," he replies. "When it's someone's room or they're not meant to be disturbed, but this is a dance studio and _you're_ meant to be rehearsing the charleston."

Ochako scoffs, more to herself than at his words. "Yeah, I know."

"I mean you're lucky it was me who found you guys," he adds, joining them in the middle of the room. "Imagine if it had been one of the producers or someone like Mina..."

"Shut the fuck up Eiji."

Eijirou laughs. "Sorry, I'll stop."

Ochako clears her throat, running one hand through her mussed hair. "Did you need something?"

"Came to see if you needed any help with rehearsals," says Eijirou.

"Right..."

Katsuki hands Ochako's hair tie back to her and she busies herself with putting her hair up again.

"So... how long has this been going on?"

Ochako and Katsuki exchange a look before Katsuki replies, "Not long."

"How long's not long?"

"A couple of weeks," says Ochako.

"You guys kept this a secret for that long?!"

Katsuki frowns. "That's not that long."

"It is on this show," says Eijirou. "How did you hide it from the paps?"

"Carefully," says Ochako. "And you're not going to tell anyone."

"Well," says Eijirou, "that depends if you want to make it worth my while..."

He grins at Ochako, who raises an eyebrow at him. "Eiji sweetie, blackmail doesn't work with a face like yours."

"Too cute?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, I guess I won't get a job as a mafioso just yet then," he says with a little laugh.

"Speaking of which," she says, "we definitely could use your help with this routine."

"'Mafioso' reminded you of that?"

"We're playing old time gangsters."

"Gotcha."

Eijirou drops his bag with theirs, giving Katsuki a sideways look as Ochako goes to start the music again.

"What?" asks Katsuki when Eijirou says nothing in explanation.

"Will you guys name your first child after me?"

"Swear to god I'll explode your face if you say another goddamn word Shitty Hair."

* * *

As well as the charleston, Katsuki has to learn steps for the jive-a-thon this week. From what he's been given to understand, they'll have to dance a jive alongside everyone else and try to impress the judges. The idea of being on the dance floor with other pairs irritates him: what if they ram into one another? When he puts it to Ochako, she tells him to make sure not to, as they'll lose points if it happens. It doesn't help to stave off his irritation.

"What if they go into us?" he asks.

"The judges should see that," assures Ochako. "They've been doing this a long time, they know what it looks like."

Katsuki grumbles softly, getting back in front of the mirror to practise his six count step again. "Why we couldn't just do two fucking routines..."

"It's for drama for the viewers."

"No shit." Katsuki lets out a frustrated growl as he ends up on the wrong foot again. "The fuck is this dance anyway?"

"Bouncy," says Ochako. "You need to loosen up or you're going to keep going wrong."

"Can't we just do an actual routine for it? I'd know what I was doing with that."

Ochako shakes her head. "You've got to know how to improvise."

"Fucking improvisation," Katsuki grumbles to himself again, getting back on the steps.

He goes over it again, counting in his own head while Ochako watches him, all his focus on the timing and being on the right feet. It takes every scrap of concentration in him not to mess it up but he pulls it off.

"Good, now try your kicks and flicks," Ochako says with a nod, coming to stand beside him to do it in unison with him. "Like we practised, shift your weight and..." They perform the steps to the slow count. "Good, keep going like that."

The praise lights a tentative little flame in Katsuki; maybe he'll actually enjoy this dance. They continue dancing, Ochako showing him more steps and going over ways they can tie bits together and riff on the existing steps to make a routine in the moment. Soon, they move on to moving to the music and Ochako leads him through a short improvised routine to it, explaining the best ways to come up with moves on the fly. She finishes the routine by leaping into his arms, striking a pose with one arm in the air, and Katsuki flashes her a grin in the mirror.

"Okay that was pretty cool," he admits.

"Told you you'd like it," Ochako says as he puts her down, going to grab her water bottle. "You did really well this morning."

Katsuki can't keep from preening a little at the praise. "Thanks."

"Eiji said he'll join us this afternoon," says Ochako. "So we can get some lunch and then work on the charleston with him."

Katsuki's stomach gives a little hiccup. "Is he going to be a problem?"

"Problem?" Ochako looks up from dabbing her face and chest with her towel.

"Because he knows... about..." He gestures vaguely between them.

Ochako snorts. "He's fine—don't worry."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I spoke to him about it at some length."

"You did?"

"Yeah, he's... he won't say anything." Ochako's face seems to flush but then she clears her throat. "He knows what kind of fury I can unleash on him if he pisses me off."

Katsuki nods. "Fair enough, if you're sure."

They fall into silence for a moment and Katsuki runs one hand through his hair.

"Are you free this evening?" she asks. Katsuki looks up to see her gazing at him.

"I don't have plans," he replies.

"Want to come over?" she asks. "I can make dinner."

Katsuki smiles. "Yeah, that sounds really good."

* * *

By the time they get back to Ochako's place, Katsuki is shattered and collapses onto the sofa while she cooks. It's a nice change: back home he tends to cook for everyone else as he can't trust them not to make a mess of it, but Ochako insists that he leave it to her. She makes a sauce for pasta and slices up some sourdough bread: it's delicious, though not quite spicy enough for his tastes. Then again, after nearly making her tongue numb when he cooked for her, it seems like a fair response.

"So if we get through to next week that's the quarter final right?" Katsuki asks as he washes up afterwards.

Ochako nods, drying a bread knife before sticking it back in the knife block. "Yeah, after that we only have a few more shows left."

Katsuki's stomach flip flops inside him. Only a few more shows means only a few more weeks together. The idea of it makes his breath hitch a little in his throat though he can't figure out why.

"But there's a lot of dances in the rest of the shows?" he asks, squashing down the roiling in his gut and scrubbing the chopping board in the sink a little harder. "Like more than one in each?"

"Well there's only one next week but yeah, after that it'll be two dances in the semi final and three in the final," explains Ochako. "Though two of those three final dances will be ones we've done before."

"Right..." Katsuki finishes with the chopping board and puts it on the dish rack to dry before pulling the plug. "So really the semi final is the harder one, if those are both new dances?"

"Yes and no," says Ochako, handing them the tea towel so he can dry his hands. "The judges might choose a really old dance for their pick, or one you didn't like much, so it can be a real pain."

Katsuki pauses in hanging up the tea towel. "So... they could pick our waltz?"

Ochako gives the tiniest grimace. "They could yeah."

"Dammit," Katsuki mutters; knowing his luck they likely _will_ pick the waltz.

"Don't worry about it yet though," urges Ochako. "We have other dances to be working on for now."

"Yeah, true..."

The kitchen falls silent for a moment; Katsuki busies himself straightening the tea towel to stave off the strange feeling in his chest. Ochako, however, pushes off the kitchen counter.

"Come here?"

She holds out her arms and he steps forward to hug her, her head resting on his chest. Instinctively he reaches up with one hand to gently stroke her hair and feels her fingers drawing shapes on his back.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"You're thinking too much."

"You think so?"

"I do." The hands on his back pause, pulling him closer as he feels her lift her head. "Come on..."

She takes him by the hand and leads him back to the sofa, pulling him down onto it with her and climbing into his lap. Katsuki's pulse jumps as she kisses him, her lips warm and soft against his, and he puts his hands on her hips. The feel of her in his arms, the sound of her breathing, the taste of her tongue, makes his head swim deliciously as he brings one hand up into her hair, tangling his fingers in it. She lets out a soft moan, pressing closer to him, her breasts pushing into his chest and dizzying him all over again.

"Wow," he sighs when she pulls back to take a breath.

She grins. "This a good distraction?"

"Definitely." Katsuki nods, grinning back and squeezing her backside with one hand. "You're the best distraction."

"I'm glad you think so," Ochako says, drawing the tip of her nose along his jaw.

Katsuki lets his head drop back against the back of the sofa as she starts kissing his jaw and neck, sending tingles through his skin. "You really are gorgeous."

"Thank you," she murmurs against his neck; he can hear the smile in it. "You're not bad yourself."

"No?"

"No, these shoulders are pretty good." She strokes her hands over his shoulders and down his arms. "And these arms." She links their fingers together, squeezing his hands. "These hands too."

Katsuki smiles. "And the rest?"

"Now you're just fishing for compliments."

Katsuki laughs and pulls her in for more kisses, his hands slipping up under her top to stroke over her skin. With an undulation of her spine, Ochako pulls it off, tossing it to one side, closely followed by her bra, and Katsuki takes the opportunity to palm her breasts with his hands, eliciting another quiet moan when he flicks his thumbs over her nipples.

"You seem overdressed," she quips, tugging on the hem of his t-shirt, and he obliges, taking it off.

"Happy now?"

"Yep."

"Fucking should be."

Ochako giggles, running her hands over his pecs while he palms her ass through her leggings again. Time vanishes in more kisses and Ochako's hands drift lower, grazing the waistband of Katsuki's jeans. He lowers his head, taking one of her nipples into his mouth, and she groans, her hands pausing on his fly as she grinds down in his lap.

"Katsuki..."

"You okay?"

She nods. "I'm good."

Her hands return to his jeans, getting his button and zip open as she shuffles back in his lap and sinks to her knees between his feet. Lifting his hips, Katsuki allows her to take off his jeans and boxers, kicking both aside and watching her wrap one hand around his cock.

"Shit..."

She squeezes gently, looking up and meeting his eye as she licks a slow tongue up his dick. The sight of it makes his breath catch in his throat, a sensation that only gets worse when she closes her lips around the head and sucks it into her mouth with another quiet groan of her own. As she starts to slowly bob her head up and down, Katsuki sighs, instinctively curling the fingers of one hand in her hair.

"Holy shit..."

Ochako looks like she's smiling at him before she closes her eyes, one hand still stroking his cock as the other comes up to play with his balls. When she sucks a little harder and drags her tongue up the length of his dick, Katsuki has to resist the urge to tighten his grip on her hair, instead swallowing a louder moan and letting his head fall back against the sofa. He's dizzy again, the wet, hot sensation too fucking good, and he groans more, his heart thumping in his ears as he feels her swallowing around his cock.

"F... fuck!" Katsuki pushes briefly, irresistibly on her head before he remembers himself and stops again. "Fuck, Ochako..."

She hums softly, speeding up her movements, her head bobbing faster and her hand moving in time to stroke him, everything getting wetter and hotter and his control wavers, dragged closer and closer to the edge.

"Ochako... Ochako, I'm gonna..."

He wants to give her some warning—they haven't exactly talked about this and he doesn't want to blow his load in her mouth if she's not okay with it (he might have a tough guy reputation but that would just be rude). Ochako, however, seems unfazed: she redoubles her efforts further, taking Katsuki's cock right to the back of her throat and swallowing around it.

"Fuck, fuck!"

Katsuki jerks where he sits, his body shaking in white hot pleasure as he comes hard, Ochako's tongue flicking along his cock. Through the bright blaze of pleasure, he feels her swallowing, and as stars burst behind his eyelids he knows how lucky he is. She keeps sucking and stroking, only stopping when he feels like he might just die from how fucking good it feels, and he gradually stops shaking. Slowly, he lifts his head to look down at her, a jolt going through his stomach again when he sees her licking her thumb clean, her eyes big and dark as she gives him a little smile.

"Fucking hell..."

"Happy?"

Katsuki nods, a strangled sound leaving him. "Y-yeah, wow..."

Ochako gives him a grin, straightening up and drawing him in for another kiss; he cups her chin with one hand, tilting his head to one side to deepen the kiss again as his other hand moves down to toy with her nipple. Another soft moan leaves her, buzzing against his lips, and he slips his hands into her leggings, hooking his fingers into them and her underwear to pull both down. She wriggles out of them, dropping them to the floor, and he pulls her to him, kissing her more as he lies her down on the sofa.

"Katsuki..." Ochako's voice wavers over the syllables when they part for air. Katsuki runs his hands lightly down Ochako's sides, feeling the curves at the sides of her breasts and the edges of her ribs.

"You okay?" he asks, gazing steadily into her face.

She nods, not a hint of hesitation in her expression. "I'm good, please don't stop."

"I won't..."

Katsuki lowers his head again, kissing down her chest and stomach as she parts her legs, giving him room to settle between them. Her back arches as his kisses trail lower, her abs tightening under his lips in anticipation, and when he finally leaves a soft kiss to her clit she lets out a little sigh. He flicks his tongue across it, listening to more pleased sounds before moving down to sink his tongue inside her cunt. She gasps softly, her thighs closing instinctively around his ears; he gently pushes her legs apart again, holding them open.

The sound of traffic outside is joined by moans and gasps as Katsuki continues, teasing and tasting her before coming up to circle her clit again. He tries different things, listens to her reactions, reads her body until she's trembling under his ministrations and her fingers tangle in his hair. She's far less reluctant than he was about it: she pulls at his hair until he groans into her cunt.

"S-sorry," she whimpers as she lets go.

"'S fine," he says, kissing her clit again. "You can if you want to."

"I don't want to hurt you." She cards a gentler hand through his hair.

Katsuki laughs. "I'm a pro hero, I've had worse, fucking pull it out if you feel like it."

"That might invite some awkward questions from the make up de—ah!"

Ochako's words are cut off by another loud moan as he goes back to eating her out and she tugs at his hair again. Her legs quiver under his hands, her thighs fluttering against his hold. Between that and the higher cadence to her voice and breath, he knows she won't last much longer.

"Kats... uki..."

She tugs harder on his hair again, her breath wavering and back arching once more. Katsuki returns to her clit, teasing it with his tongue again before sucking on it, and it seems to be the final straw for Ochako: her body stiffens as she comes with a final, wordless cry. He keeps moving his tongue and lips, making sure she rides out the pleasure before leaving a parting kiss to the inside of her thigh and sitting up again, wiping the corner of his mouth with one thumb. Ochako's eyes are a little unfocused as she looks up at him and gives him a little smile.

"You happy?" he asks.

"I am."

She holds out her arms to him, kissing him on the cheek when he lies down with her again. The sofa isn't really deep enough for the both of them, but he holds her close, stroking her hair back from her face. Her breathing slows, evening out against his chest.

"Thanks for coming over," she says dreamily. "This was fun."

"It was." Katsuki sighs, squeezing her tighter.

"Good break from rehearsals too," she says. "Think we both needed it."

The mention of rehearsals feels like a return to earth; before, Katsuki felt like he was in orbit, the world around himself and Ochako blissfully gone. He covers his surprise with another kiss to Ochako's forehead, wondering why he even feels it.

* * *

The rest of the week flies by in a flurry of ball changes, kicks and yes, more fucking swivels. Katsuki pushes through tiredness and frustration to practise both dances, and every time Ochako praises him, he finds that little bit more will to keep going. Something in him feels different now, in a way he can't define, all he can figure out is that when he looks at Ochako his heart gives a little hiccup. Thankfully, dancing keeps his mind busy and tires his body out so much that he falls asleep quickly each night; he barely has any time to think about it.

He could try and talk to someone about it, maybe should, but the only other person who knows about him and Ochako is Eijirou and as much at Katsuki likes him, he's still more Ochako's friend than his. Izuku would be able to give good advice, but that would involve explaining what's happened between them and Katsuki is still hesitant to do so.

He's thinking it over on Friday afternoon as he gets into his clothes and heads to the make up department ahead of dress rehearsals, the thoughts puckering his brow and earning him several stern looks from the make up department while they sort out his face and hair. Thankfully, after he leaves there he's given no more time to think as he goes to meet Ochako for rehearsal.

In her short flapper dress and with her hair curled cutely against her forehead, she looks every inch the part, especially when she hooks her arm into his.

"You look great," she says with a grin.

"So do you," he replies, nodding to her outfit. "This is a good look for you."

"Clearly we were born in the wrong era," she giggles as they make their way through the corridors to the main studio. "How are you feeling?"

Katsuki thinks about it before shrugging, choosing to focus on the dance. "Pretty good I think."

"Think we can beat our last score?"

"I think so," he nods. "Hell, we might even get more than an 8 from Craig for once."

* * *

In the end, they don't get more than an 8 from Craig, nor do they beat their last score. Still, when they get their scores (8, 9, 9, 9 for a total of 37), Katsuki can't feel disappointed. The feedback from the judges was fair: he was a little wild and flailing in some of the movements, and his swivels could have been stronger. He had to shout down the audience when they tried to boo over the critique, especially Craig's, just so he could hear and take on board what they were trying to tell him. And, really, it's a good score.

The jive-a-thon is just as hectic as Katsuki feared it would be: he has to change direction a couple of times to avoid a head-on collision with other dancing pairs, and the kicks and flicks are exhausting, especially after having performed the charleston earlier on. By the end of it, he and Ochako are panting and he can feel sweat crawling down his back, but he can't stop grinning like a maniac at having got through it without crashing into anyone else or being otherwise disqualified. When they place second, he exchanges a pleased grin with Ochako: they're still sitting in a comfortable place on the leader board. As long as the audience at home doesn't decide that they hated the routines, they should be able to go through.

Still, when they stand under their spotlight later on in the show, waiting to find out who will be going through to the quarter final, Katsuki's stomach seems to have tied itself in knots, his heart thumping in his ears. He manages to keep his hands on Ochako's shoulders steady, but when she covers one with one of her own, hers are trembling minutely. He squeezes it, letting out a long breath as Tess starts reading from the teleprompter, and she seems to relax a little.

When they hear their names called, relief floods Katsuki and he pulls Ochako into a hug as their spotlight turns off. In the dark next to other spotlighted couples, she holds him close.

"Quarter finals!" she squeals under her breath; her mic is off but she's always careful to keep her voice down on the dance floor. "We did it!"

"_You_ did it," he corrects, chancing a quick kiss to the top of her head. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"Teaching me so well," he murmurs. "I couldn't do this without you."

Her answering grin is so bright he can see it through the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

Excited at the prospect of being in the quarter finals, Katsuki and Ochako throw themselves into training for the quickstep. Katsuki knows the cameras will be seeing a different side to him this week but pays them little mind, keen to get the choreography right. The two of them practise the manoeuvres and steps over and over, training hard for long hours on Monday and Tuesday.

In hindsight, maybe they should have been more careful.

Katsuki isn't sure how it happens. One moment, he's holding Ochako up in a lift, and though it's tricky he feels pretty secure, but then next minute he feels her overbalance and tip backwards, dropping to the floor behind him with a sickening thud. Katsuki's heart jumps into his throat as he turns, falling to his knees beside her.

"Ochako?"

"I'm okay," she groans, rolling onto her back and wincing. "Just a little tumble."

"Where does it hurt?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Bullshit," he frowns. "I see injuries all the time in my fucking job—I know what a hurt person looks like. Tell me."

Ochako hesitates for a moment longer before sighing, "I landed on my shoulder."

Reaching down, Katsuki has a tentative feel of her shoulder, quickly pulling back when she winces again. "I'm getting help, don't move."

* * *

Outside the emergency department, Eijirou pulls up, getting out of his car and dashing over to them.

"What happened?" he asks, looking between Katsuki's set face and Ochako's sling.

"I dropped her," Katsuki replies, but Ochako whacks his upper arm with her free hand.

"You didn't," she insists, looking back at Eijirou. "I fell and hurt my shoulder."

"Are you okay?" asks Eijirou.

"I'm fine," she says. "The doctor even cleared me to dance, just carefully."

"Well that's a relief," says Eijirou.

"It shouldn't be," puts in Katsuki. "What if you get more hurt?"

"I won't," she says. "We'll be careful and re-choreograph the number to work around the injury."

Though she's been saying the same for the last two hours while they waited in the ED, Katsuki still feels a twinge in his stomach when she repeats it now. The sound when he dropped her earlier has been playing on repeat in his head and he can't bear the idea of anything worse happening to her.

"I can help," says Eijirou. "We can re-work it, make it easier on you both."

"You're the best," says Ochako, giving him a smile.

"I still think you should think about taking the week off," says Katsuki. "I can dance with someone else for one week."

"I told you I'm fine." Ochako's smile vanishes, replaced with a scowl again as she looks up at him.

"Well let's go before the parking attendants give me any grief," says Eijirou, his tone easy as always. "We can talk about this later."

* * *

That afternoon, they're still talking about it.

"Look, if we just change it, it'll be fine," says Ochako, waving her hands in exasperation. "It's really not that hard."

"That's not the issue," grumbles Katsuki. "I know it's not hard. The issue is that I don't want you to hurt yourself more."

"I won't!" Ochako snaps. "I know what I'm doing and I know it'll be okay!"

"But what if I do something wrong?" asks Katsuki.

"You _won't_," she says. "You're more than capable of it, I know you are."

Katsuki runs one hand over his face and through his hair. Yes, he appreciates her faith in him, but he doesn't want to imagine something going wrong again, and though he's said as much to her, she simply can't seem to grasp his problem with the plan. The showrunners have offered to let Katsuki dance with another partner this week; it's not ideal but he would prefer for Ochako to rest than push on out of some misplaced sense of pride or whatever. She, however, doesn't think the same.

"I'm not taking this week off," she repeats. "I'll be fine—it's not even that painful and I know my body."

Katsuki grimaces again but before he can say anything in response—probably the same things he's been saying all afternoon—Eijirou steps in.

"Katsuki, let's go get something to eat," he suggests, getting up off the dance studio floor and gesturing for Katsuki to follow him.

"'m not hungry," says Katsuki.

"Yeah you are," Eijirou insists. "You both are, and I am, so let's go get some food and take a breather and let Ochako chill for a bit."

Reluctantly, Katsuki gets up and follows Eijirou, the two of them leaving Ochako in the studio while they go on the hunt for some food. When they're in the queue at the sandwich shop over the road, waiting to pay for their order, Eijirou turns to him.

"You still underestimate her, don't you?" he asks.

"Excuse me?" Irritation prickles under Katsuki's skin.

"Well it's true, isn't it?" Eijirou's gaze is unwavering. "You still don't think she can handle this."

"That's... not true," Katsuki says, his stomach swimming.

"Look, I get that we're not pro heroes like you," says Eijirou. "Seriously, your job is really hard and we both admire you for doing it day in day out, but that doesn't mean she's not capable. She's tough—you know she is."

Katsuki sighs. "Yeah, I know, just..."

"I know you're worried about her getting more injured, but believe me she can handle it," Eijirou says. "One time a few years ago we were just coming out of junior divisions and we made it to the finals for a European Latin contest, no quirks allowed, and she busted her ankle the day before we were due to fly. I said we should withdraw but she wouldn't, so we went for it."

"What happened?"

"We came second—she was so happy."

The twist in Katsuki's stomach lessens slightly. "But she was dancing on a crappy ankle?"

"You wouldn't have known it to look at her," says Eijirou. "Like I said, she's tough, so give her some credit."

They reach the front of the queue and pay for their sandwiches, soon leaving the shop. As they cross the road to get back to the complex where the studio is, Katsuki clears his throat.

"You don't think I'll fuck it up?" he asks. "Like drop her or something?"

Eijirou shakes his head with a grin. "Nah, if you're anything like me you'll be more careful than she will."

When they make it back to the dance studio, Ochako is stretching, on the floor in a box split, her face still set and resolute.

"Figured I should get ready to dance," she says. "We lost a lot of practice time today already."

"Okay, but shall we eat first?" asks Katsuki, tossing her a chicken wrap that she catches. "You can't dance that well if you're hungry."

Ochako blinks at him briefly before a huge grin spreads across her face.

* * *

With Ochako's quirk, there are things she and Katsuki can do to alleviate stress on the shoulder injury: she changes her own weight and his, reduces the amount of force going between them to make things easier. She's left feeling a little sick and dizzy occasionally from using her quirk so much, but she insists that it's fine, so Katsuki lets her continue.

It's especially fortunate that Ochako didn't hurt her ankle, as the quickstep is a great deal less forgiving on the legs than on the arms, though the holds are still rigid and a little awkward and the speed at which they dance makes everything harder. Eijirou assists in all their rehearsals, helping Ochako figure out how to change the movements and shape the routine with them both. Where Katsuki fails, he tries to convince Ochako on things that are realistic for her (and sometimes achieves marginal success) and where Katsuki hesitates, he encourages him to follow through on movements, all with a smile. Katsuki knows they wouldn't have been able to pull any of this off without him.

The cameras are keen to follow their progress with Ochako's injury too. Thankfully none were around to witness her fall, but the crew seem to check in on them more frequently than before. Part of it is quarter final excitement, and with fewer pairs left in the competition the cameras need more time with them to get the footage needed for the programme, but Katsuki knows they'll also want to catch all the details about Ochako's injury for the audience. Katsuki is determined that no one will remember the injury when they see the routine.

Maybe that's why he's especially nervous when they're preparing to take to the floor during the live show. He's sure he won't drop her now—they've gone over the choreography again and again, made sure their movements are precise and safe, and her shoulder is securely strapped up under her dress. Now the pressure is on the performance: it's not enough just to get through it, as everyone around them has been getting better too and if they don't pull out a good performance tonight they could easily go home.

Ochako slips her hand into his, linking their fingers together in the darkness of backstage.

"Relax," she says softly. "You can't be this tense for the quickstep."

"I know," murmurs Katsuki, letting out a long breath and squeezing her hand. "I just don't want you to miss out on the semi finals."

"We'll get there," she says. "Our routine is good, we've worked on it really hard."

"Just got to pull it off."

"Yep," she smiles. "Piece of cake, right?"

In the gloom, he looks down, meeting her eyes, feeling a little flip in his stomach as his lips quirk up too.

"Yeah, no problem."

* * *

The routine is not easy. Twice Katsuki barely manages to keep time, and once he almost lets his fear over Ochako's shoulder stop him in his tracks, but the fire in her eyes keeps him going, pushing through the routine to the very end. It's not perfect, he knows, but the feedback from the judges is overall pretty good, even from Craig, and when they get four 9s for their score he almost swears as a huge weight leaves his shoulders. He pulls Ochako in for a tight hug, careful not to crush her shoulder too much, and feels her hugging him back just as tightly.

As icing on the good score cake, they're the first pair to be announced going through to the final; Katsuki suspects he'll never quite forget the sound of Ochako's ecstatic gasp when Tess says their names. As their spotlight turns off, Katsuki holds Ochako close, grinning into her hair. The prospect of semi finals is daunting but exciting, but more than that he's relieved to know that Ochako can rest tomorrow before they start training again.


	9. Chapter 9

With two different dances to learn, Ochako and Katsuki get to work right away in training. They arrive at the studio early on Monday morning, keen to get their routines ready as soon as possible. As they get to the end of their warm up, he turns to her.

"How's your shoulder feeling?"

Ochako tests it, shrugging. "It's not too bad—grateful for the rest yesterday."

"I'll bet," he says. "If you want I can give it a rub later?"

With a little grin, Ochako nods. "Yeah I'll take you up on that."

Katsuki smirks to himself. "So what are our dances?"

"We're doing a cha cha and a Viennese waltz."

Katsuki pauses. "We already did a waltz—it was fucking horrible."

"We did yes," laughs Ochako. "But that was a waltz and this is a _Viennese_ waltz."

Katsuki pauses, raising an eyebrow at her. "You keep pulling this shit on me, are there only four dances with different names or something?"

Ochako giggles again. "This waltz will be better."

"You promise?"

"Yeah, don't worry—you're a far better dancer now and I think you can do it."

Katsuki gives her a brief, doubtful look before clearing his throat. "So what's the story with that one?"

"It's a love song," she says. "Pretty straightforward really so we can focus on the choreography and expression for it and really show everyone how well you can emote now."

"Yeah no more 'uh your face is ugly and angry blah blah blah'," says Katsuki. "What about the cha cha?"

Ochako grins. "That's a bit more fun," she says. "We'll be a pair that are bad for each other essentially; you'll see what I mean when we get to it."

"Right," says Katsuki with a nod. "Where shall we start then?"

* * *

Over the next few days, Katsuki and Ochako spend longer hours than before in the studio, rehearsing and rehearsing. Katsuki only stops thinking about their two routines when he sleeps, and even then his dreams often involve dance floors, sequins and number paddles. Part of him wonders how he came to be so dedicated to dancing, but he quickly finds himself unable to dwell on the thought for very long when he has movements and steps to perfect as well as a dance partner to continue to support.

With her shoulder still technically on the mend, Ochako is forced to continue being far more careful than she normally would be, especially in practising the cha cha. She exercises the muscles each day, rolling her shoulder back and forth and using small weights to strengthen it. Fortunately they're not planning any particularly strenuous lifts this week and the waltz is decidedly more sedate.

Despite his nerves over the waltz, Katsuki finds he takes to the choreography faster this time—whether because he's more careful over the timing now or simply more experienced—and he does his best to enjoy it. Still, the pace is a little slow for him; the cha cha is for sure more his kind of dance, and he enjoys the smile on Ochako's face when they dance it. It's a mischievous kind of smile, fitting for the story of the dance, and Katsuki likes it on her, wants to see it on her more. He's enjoying the actual cha cha too, enjoying the feeling of her body rolling against his in hold, the gorgeous lines of her legs out of it, the rush he gets from dancing so fluidly and easily with her.

By Wednesday afternoon, however, Katsuki can feel himself becoming frazzled: as the two of them go over the routines again and again, fatigue starts to set in, and he feels heavier on his feet. The final run through of the cha cha for the day leaves him feeling a little light-headed but while they're getting their things together to leave—to a late dinner—Ochako turns to him.

"We should meet earlier tomorrow morning," she says.

Part of Katsuki cringes inwardly at the idea of starting any earlier in the morning but he nods. "Sure thing."

"I have a surprise for you," adds Ochako with another little smile.

"Really?" He can't keep a little smirk from twisting onto his face despite himself as he leans closer. "What kind of surprise?"

Ochako giggles. "The kind you get to know about in the morning."

Katsuki grumbles but kisses her on the cheek. "Fine, I'll be here."

* * *

When he arrives there the next morning, clutching a takeaway cup of coffee and croissant, Katsuki can't keep in a grumble at the sight of the camera crew gathered there with Ochako.

"What the fuck Cheeks," he says, frowning at her. "Why are they here too?"

"They're filming," she says.

"No shit." Katsuki resists rolling his eyes. "What are they filming?"

"You'll see," she assures him. "Just play along with the cameras and we won't have to do any other cringey stuff you'd hate."

Katsuki cuts a look at the camera crew before sighing. "Fine, if it gets it over with."

Ochako grins, lowering her voice. "I'll thank you properly later."

With a grin of his own, Katsuki addresses the camera crew. "Shall we get on with this then?"

They all get set up, Ochako and Katsuki standing in the middle of the dance studio with the cameras trained on them. Going along with the usual bullshit, Katsuki turns to her once the cameras are rolling.

"So Ochako, why are we here so early in the morning?" He doesn't put much affectation into his voice—he's meant to sound a little tired and his persona on the show has become somewhat grouchy by now. Ochako, however, gives him a bright smile.

"Well," she begins, putting on her bubbly camera tone, "we've been working really hard this week and I figured we needed a break, so I arranged for us to do some meditation."

"Meditation?" Katsuki barely suppresses an 'are you fucking kidding me', instead trying not to look too exasperated. "Right..."

Ochako laughs—she knows by now how much he hates this shit, and is clearly enjoying herself way too much at his expense. "Yeah, we have an instructor coming to guide us through some short meditations to help us relax."

While part of him is still sceptical, Katsuki finds he can't say no when Ochako gives him that smile, and he shrugs. "Okay, let's give it a go then."

When they're sitting on the floor cross-legged with their eyes closed an hour later, Katsuki has to admit to himself that it is kind of nice to stop for a bit. Sure, he struggled at the start to think anything but that they should still be practising and going over the routines in his head again and again, but now he focuses on his breathing and the background hum of the camera equipment. Yes, this would be vastly easier without the knowledge that they're there, and no, it isn't how Katsuki imagined semi-final training to go, but he made his peace with all this being a weird experience a while ago.

As thoughts of the competition start to crawl up the back of his neck again, Katsuki swallows, trying to force the thoughts away again. Of course, as the teacher (a strange woman with foliage growing from her head and a self-righteous air calling herself Vine) explained to them before they started, trying to force any kind of thought away only ensures it will make itself more known to you, like trying to push a swim float underwater only to have it fly up out of the water and smack you in the face. Tension snarls up his spine, biting at his nerves and making him let out a soft grumble.

"Relax," repeats Vine, her voice low and serene. "Let go of your thoughts gently, let them drift away from you like clouds."

Katsuki lets out another slow breath, trying to relinquish his grip on the tension inside him. Beside him, he can hear Ochako's soft, steady breathing and he focuses on the sound of it, timing his own to it and finding it grounds him better than anything else did before. Soon, he finds his spine softening, his pulse slowing again, his breath evening out, and the darkness behind his eyelids finally feels like space...

Until one of the camera guys drops his coffee and they all hear a quiet "Oh bollocks."

* * *

Even after the long telling off Vine gave the camera guy for breaking their concentration during the meditation and her and the crew's subsequent departure, Katsuki finds his body feeling lighter than before, his chest more open and able to breathe. It becomes especially apparent when they finish a run through of the Viennese waltz and Ochako gives him a little smile.

"Your posture is so good!" she enthuses. "I swear it wasn't as good yesterday."

"Well that's the point isn't it?" Katsuki asks. "Getting better and shit?"

"Still, you seem way more comfortable now," she insists before a spark flashes in her eyes. "Was it because of the meditation?"

Katsuki considers shaking his head and waving it off, but... well, she already knows.

"Might have been," he admits with a shrug, giving her a little smirk.

Ochako giggles triumphantly. "Told you it would help."

"Yeah okay," says Katsuki, his voice lilting teasingly as he pulls her close. "Don't let it go to your head."

"Or what?" Ochako grins, brushing her nose against his.

"Or I'll have to find a way to shut you up."

He tilts his head to the side, kissing her softly and feeling further giggles bubbling up inside her. With a flick of her tongue across his lips, she draws a little groan from him and he tangles one hand in her hair, dislodging it from its bun. Her hands tug at his top, but before anything more can happen, they hear the studio door open.

"You guys really need to stop doing this in unlocked rooms," says Eijirou with an audible eye roll.

Ochako chuckles, giving Katsuki a parting grin before letting go of him and clearing her throat. "Hey Eiji."

"Hi," he says, hanging up his jacket. "I see your rehearsal is going well."

Coming from anyone else, the comment would sound sarcastic, but Eijirou clearly can't fight back a grin of his own, and in combination with his easygoing nature he simply isn't scary enough.

"Well I think the waltz is definitely getting there," Ochako says, "especially now that a certain someone has learned how to relax."

"I know how to fucking relax," grumbles Katsuki.

Ochako laughs. "If you say so."

"How's the cha cha?" asks Eijirou.

"Really good," says Ochako. "We're just perfecting it now."

"That's good," says Eijirou. "Reckon it might net you a good score?"

Katsuki glances at Ochako, exchanging a brief look with her before she grins again. "I think so."

* * *

Saturday is always a crazy day, but semi-final Saturday is a whole new dizzying level of crazy. Anticipation thickens the air so much Katsuki almost can't breathe, and he finds he's kept so busy he barely has time to catch his breath anyway. Not only does has he had to prepare for two separate dances, everyone still left in the competition is taking part in a group dance and they don't get to rehearse it from start to finish until Saturday afternoon. The whole thing is a stressful blur of motion and if Katsuki were less robust he might find himself unable to cope—thankfully, he's made of sterner stuff than that, as is Ochako.

Even once they've rehearsed the group dance, the day doesn't stop being hectic. Katsuki finds himself running all over the studio for interviews, with and without Ochako, make up and dress consultations, people just looking to talk to him about this or that. By the time they're getting ready to go live for the show itself, he's already exhausted and can feel his body full of agitation—when he is finally reunited with Ochako, she gives him an appraising look.

"You okay?" she asks.

Katsuki nods. "Yeah, fine, just... today's been a bit crazy and we haven't even danced yet."

With a nod of her own, Ochako sighs. "It has yeah." She looks contemplative for a moment before adding, "Do you want to find somewhere quiet to relax?"

They both glance about: with only fifteen minutes to go before the show is due to start, all the dancing couples have been herded into their backstage positions, ready to start the show off with the group dance. However, no one seems to be watching them right now. Ochako slips her hand into Katsuki's.

"Hey Eiji," she leans forward to whisper to Eijirou. "We'll be right back, come grab us if we're needed."

"What?" Eijirou frowns at them. "But we're on soon!"

"I know, and I promise we'll be back before that," she murmurs.

Eijirou looks between them again before giving them a wary shrug. "Okay but I'm not taking any responsibility if you get into trouble."

Ochako grins and drags Katsuki away without further ado, taking him into the room where the couples exiting the dance floor react to the camera about their scores, closing the door behind them. There's no one inside and she sinks down to sit on the floor, tugging at Katsuki's hand until he follows suit, facing her.

"What are we doing?" he asks.

"You need to relax and refocus," she says, "so we're going to use the skills we learned from that meditation session."

"Right..."

"I know you weren't super on board to begin with but you did eventually make it work," she says. "So do that again."

Katsuki nods. "Okay..."

They close their eyes and Katsuki does his best to tune out the sounds coming from outside the door. It's easier said than done—he can hear at least six separate voices, of runners and techies mostly, and every new noise twists up his neck, making him grind his teeth.

"How are you feeling?" Ochako asks after a short time.

"Fucking great," growls Katsuki, opening his eyes as they hear a new voice outside asking about the band setup.

"Are you struggling with the noise?" Ochako's eyes are wide and concerned.

"Yeah duh."

"What did you do last time that worked?"

"I..." Katsuki feels heat creep across his scalp to his ears. "I listened to your breathing actually."

Ochako blinks and gives him a tender smile. "Really?"

"Yeah, don't let it go to your head."

Ochako chuckles. "Okay, can you do that again now?"

"Can't hear it," says Katsuki with a frown. "'S too noisy."

Ochako looks thoughtful but then shifts closer, all but sitting in Katsuki's lap. "Come here."

She winds her arms around him and he pulls her close, feeling her body warm against his own. As he closes his eyes again, he still can't hear her breathing too well, but with her in his arms he can feel it. The steady in-out motion helps him concentrate again, tuning his own breathing to hers and feeling the weight of the day start to lift. They stay there as long as they can before Ochako finally lifts her head, stroking one hand through Katsuki's hair as he opens his eyes to look at her.

"How are you feeling now?"

Katsuki nods. "Better."

"Good, " Ochako grins, straightening and helping him to his feet. "Let's go smash this."

* * *

When the feedback for their cha cha is all good, Katsuki can't fight back a wide grin—even Craig doesn't have much to say regarding corrections or areas for improvement. Still, when he holds up a '10' paddle afterwards, Katsuki's jaw all but hits the floor, and when three more 10s follow, he knows he must look utterly shocked. Ochako lets out a high squeal, covering her face in her hands as Katsuki hugs her in elation.

Everything blurs—Katsuki doesn't know whether he keeps his swearing under control or not as they move from person to person, all beaming and congratulating them. When they make it to the relative quiet of backstage, his ears are ringing and his face almost hurts from how wide his smile is. Ochako turns to him, face and eyes bright with joy, and he pulls her in for another tight hug.

"Holy shit!" he hisses.

"I know!" she squeaks, clearly too swept away by the exhilaration to scold him. "You did so well!"

"So did you!" he insists. "You looked fucking amazing out there!"

Ochako giggles, tightening her grip on him a little more; quickly he feels his feet becoming lighter on the floor, light enough to start lifting. Stifling a louder laugh, he taps her on the shoulder.

"Uh, Cheeks?"

"Hmm?" Ochako lifts her gaze to look him in the eyes before blushing. "Oh, sorry!" She releases her quirk, giving him a sheepish grin as they return to the floor again. "I got overexcited."

"It's fine," he says with a little grin. "You're cute."

She flushes afresh, prodding him in the chest. "Come on, we'll be needed in Wardrobe."

* * *

Astonishingly, maybe because he's learned how to relax when he dances it, Katsuki finds the Viennese waltz far easier. Yes, some of it is also down to him being a far better dancer than he was for the last waltz and the lack of weird contact lenses, but none of that compares with the way Ochako feels in his arms, how she looks in her dress, the warmth in her eyes. As they dance together, feet moving steadily to the 1-2-3 beat, Katsuki's heart feels fuller in his chest; he finds himself wanting to lean in and kiss her despite the studio full of people and cameras (and by extension thousands more people) but he resists the urge, continuing the dance...

As she spins on the spot, Katsuki hears a ripping sound and glances down to see a long piece of skirt fabric caught around the heel of her shoe. Their eyes meet; for the briefest instant hers are wide and worried and he knows his own must be similar, but then she subtly sets her jaw, giving him the tiniest nod, and he returns the expression: they can't afford to falter.

Katsuki keeps going, continuing to move through the routine, and tries to ignore it when he feels fabric unravelling under his feet. As they reach the end of the dance, Katsuki consciously lets go of the tension in his shoulders, sure they've pulled it off.

But then, just as they reach the final bar of the dance, something catches at his toe and he stumbles. He tries to right himself but the unending spins of the waltz have wrapped the torn piece firmly around his ankle and he lurches forward. Just before he can fall completely, he feels Ochako's hands on him and stops in mid air, safe but in the wrong place for the end of the dance. The applause that follows is slow to begin but then the audience warms up, giving them cheers; it's not as enthusiastic as for their cha cha.

The comments from the judges seem to drag: all of them say that the routine was good until the stumble and Katsuki nods, not trusting himself to say anything aloud beyond a brief apology and explanation about the skirt fabric (as if they couldn't see what went wrong). Beside him, Ochako doesn't say much either, her hand in his shaking slightly. Every thump of his heart in Katsuki's ears feels heavy and ominous, and he wants nothing more than to leave the dance floor and the studio. The thumping in his ears grows louder—he barely hears the judges speak when they give their scores (7, 8, 7, 8, a total of 30) over the thought of '_we're going to end up in the dance off_'—but he keeps hold of Ochako's hand, anchoring himself to her.

Backstage, he can't keep in a groan of frustration.

"Fuck, I'm sorry," he says, pressing the heels of his hands into his face. "I fucked up."

"Don't apologise," says Ochako. "It was my skirt fabric that tripped you."

Katsuki grumbles again, sparks crackling across his palms. "Still, we're going in the dance off."

"You don't know that for sure."

"I can feel it."

"Well even if we are we can come back from it," she insists. "We did last time."

"But what if we don't?"

Ochako puts her hands on her hips, brows drawing sternly down over her eyes. "Katsuki Bakugou, stop being such a fucking drama queen."

Taken aback, Katsuki blinks at her. "I'm not—"

"Yes you are," she cuts him off. "Just calm down; if we're going into the dance off we won't survive if you're going to throw yourself around."

Unable to argue with her, Katsuki takes a deep breath, trying to relax and dispel the warmth thrumming through his hands again. When he feels less vexed, he lets out a slow breath and turns back to her.

"Fine," he says.

"We can do our cha cha again for the dance off," offers Ochako. "It's always the case once we get to doing more than one dance a week."

Katsuki frowns to himself. "What if we did the waltz?"

It's Ochako's turn to frown at that. "You want to do the waltz again?"

"Well we scored perfectly on the cha cha," he says. "We have nothing to improve on."

Ochako nods. "Okay, we should let the producers know and I need to get my hem fixed up enough to dance again." She pauses briefly before shrugging. "We may not need to worry anyway though—we could still avoid the dance off."

* * *

Unfortunately, this is a rare case of Ochako being wrong. The spotlight over the two of them goes red and Katsuki feels his heart turn over but Ochako's hands in his own are steady and he works to keep his face relaxed. The wait to dance again is agonising, but as they take their places to start, Ochako gives him the tiniest smile and Katsuki feels his heart pick up speed.

He's listened to this song countless times, again and again in practice sessions and at home, so many times he's stopped noticing the lyrics, but with his awareness of this potentially being their final dance comes a heightened sense of clarity; he notices every tiny thing. He can smell Ochako's perfume, could count the flecks of glitter on her cheeks, feel every breath both of them take, but as he dances he can also hear every word the band is singing.

_I can't help falling in love with you._

It hits him like a truck, all at once and devastating. For a moment, his mind blanks, his body taking over in the dance as the realisation fills him from the top of his head to his fingers and toes: he loves Ochako. There's no shred, not a single sliver, of doubt in Katsuki's mind—it's never been in his nature to doubt himself and when faced with such incontrovertible truth as this it's impossible for him to deny it. Their eyes meet as Katsuki hoists Ochako into a lift and he can't hold in a little gasp, his heart picking up speed at how intense the feeling is.

The rest of the dance feels private, the audience and the studio and the cameras melting away to leave the two of them dancing together. It's like being back in the practice rooms, in their own little world away from everyone else. She catches his eye again, giving him a smile and squeezing his hand as he pulls her in for a spin.

He can't lose this, he also realises as they dance: he can't imagine not being able to take Ochako to the final. They've come so far together by now, worked too hard and been through too much, to go out at this point. Every part of Katsuki seems to tingle as he dances with her, still acutely aware of everything around them. By the time they finish the dance (without falling or stumbling), he feels almost breathless and soon pulls Ochako in for a hug, knowing they've done their absolute best to get to the final.

"You did great," Ochako says softly as they take their places to await the judges' decision. "I'm so proud of you."

Katsuki doesn't know what to say; he squeezes her hand tight, his heart pummelling against the inside of his ribs.

_Please_, he thinks desperately. _Please let us stay._

Somehow, his prayers are answered: the judges unanimously decide to let them go into the final, all saying the two of them improved massively on their first performance of the Viennese waltz. Relief floods Katsuki, his body almost sagging as he and Ochako head backstage while the leaving couple chat to Tess. Ochako's next hug, her arms tight around him, steadies him, grounding him so that he can hear what she's saying:

"... so good! I knew you could do it, you did amazing!" she squeals. "We're through! We're going to the final!"

Katsuki finds he can't keep from grinning, nor hold in the laugh that bubbles out of him. "Why do you sound so surprised Cheeks? You said we'd make it."

He meets Ochako's eyes, getting another grin in return. "I can't wait to show you what I've been planning for our showdance."


	10. Chapter 10

It's a strange feeling, Katsuki finds, to go into finals week: on the one hand everyone is excited, even more so than usual, but on the other he's now acutely aware of the fact that this is the last week he and Ochako will be dancing together. Before it was a possibility, a looming dread that was thankfully never realised, but now he knows it'll all be over after this week, whether they win or not. The knowledge brings a weight to bear in his chest that he does his best to ignore as they start rehearsing the three dances for the show.

The judges end up picking their paso doble for them to perform again, and neither Katsuki nor Ochako can hide their joy: the paso was the first really great score they got over the course of the show and getting to revisit it as a better dancer feels like the best opportunity to have been given for the final. As well as that, the two of them have elected to dance their rumba again in their 'favourite dance' slot, and Katsuki can't wait. Even if he knows it won't be the same as the first time they danced it in Blackpool, being in a different studio and with much higher stakes now, Katsuki still feels a jolt of excitement at the prospect.

If the two of them were pulling long hours before, that was nothing compared to now. On Monday alone, they stay in the studio for twelve hours, and when Katsuki suggests (half jokingly) that they stay the night there, Ochako actually seems to consider the idea for far longer than he would have expected. It seems to set a new precedent for them: soon the pair of them frequently find themselves staying in the studio until after eleven at night, and returning before seven the following morning. On Ochako's instruction they stop for a rest (which often becomes a short nap) in the middle of the day before continuing—something the camera crew find both endearing and strangely amusing and which the pair of them end up having to answer questions about on the companion show midweek.

The hours are worth it though: Katsuki never would have thought he could be so proud of something he created but the showdance he helps Ochako to devise brings a smile to his face every time they dance it together. They, together with Eijirou, have worked hard to create a routine that should be fun to watch as well as perform. With an all but blank canvas, they throw everything they have at it, incorporating their quirks, both separate and combined, and every skill Katsuki has picked up and honed over the course of the show.

"This might be the best showdance I've ever been part of," Ochako says when they sit down to eat lunch together one day. Katsuki can feel sweat soaking the back of his top and her clothes are similarly darkened.

"Yeah?" he asks. When she nods, he adds, "How many showdances have you been part of?"

"One, this one," replies Ochako with a wry smile. "I've been waiting for this for a while."

Katsuki's heart swells. "Then we're going to fucking win this thing."

Ochako's grin seems to light the entire room. "Damn right we are," she says. "You've worked really hard and I'm proud of you."

Katsuki's stomach gives a lurch, part excitement and part the ache he's been trying to disregard. Maybe he would feel differently if they hadn't been together near constantly for the past several months, but the idea of being away from Ochako, apart from her with no prospect of doing any of this with her again, makes him feel like a kite whose string has been cut, a boat without anchor on a choppy sea. Yes, he knows he'll soon go back to his day job, and taking down villains with his best friend at his side will be satisfying—he's never hated his job, and still doesn't—but he also knows he's going to miss this and (more importantly) miss _her_.

"You okay?" Ochako asks now, her head tilting to one side as she peers at him. The movement looses a lock of hair from her ponytail, sending it sweeping across her face, and he reaches out one hand to brush it out of her eyes again as he nods.

"I'm fine," he says—what else can he say? 'My chest hurts when I think about this being the last week because I'm not ready to say bye to you and I'm pretty sure I know what that's about but I feel like we don't really have time to find out properly and it's bumming me out'? The idea almost makes him laugh in derision at himself. He can't say something like that. "Just tired."

Ochako raises an eyebrow at him. "You're never tired."

Katsuki shrugs. "Yeah well, we're working hard."

"Fair point." Ochako pauses, fork halfway between her pasta salad and her mouth, and looks like she might be about to say something else, but then she shakes her head to herself.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she says with a little smile at him. "Just... excited, I think."

"Only think?" Katsuki can't keep in a teasing little grin.

Ochako chuckles. "Well yeah, it's such a weird feeling getting to this point and knowing it'll all be over soon," she explains. "Like, we've worked really hard on all this and even if we win that's it."

Katsuki's heart gives a little flip flop in his chest. "Yeah I know what you mean."

"Do you think you'll keep up with dancing once you're back in Japan?"

"What, like between taking down villains?"

"Why not? You could do classes and just dance for fun, not worry about getting scored at the end."

Katsuki gazes thoughtfully at the sandwich in front of him. "I guess..."

"You don't sound very sure."

"Well if I do classes they won't be as good at teaching as you."

He says it without thought, but as soon as the words leave his mouth he realises how they must sound and heat shoots up his neck. Turning to look at her, he sees a wide grin on her face.

"Really?" she asks.

Katsuki blinks. "Well yeah, you're amazing."

"And no one else would be able to put up with you."

Katsuki jabs her with an elbow and she giggles, the sound reaching right inside him and twisting something unknown. "Rude."

Any further words he might be about to say die on his tongue as Ochako takes one of his hands in her own, linking their fingers together. He meets her gaze once more, her eyes wide and warm, and she gives him a little smile.

"Obviously we're going to win," she says, "but no matter what happens this weekend, I just want you to know I'm really proud of you."

Katsuki swallows around an impending lump in his throat. "Thanks."

"Also I'm going to miss you."

The lump in Katsuki's throat grows heavier and he swallows harder, squeezing her hand.

"I'm going to miss you too Cheeks."

When she leans in to kiss him—they're free from the watch of the cameras after all—he pulls her close with a hand on the back of her neck and returns it, heart racing. Her lips are soft and tender and perfect and _fuck_, what if this is it? The thought makes his stomach churn, the sensation rising in him and dizzying as they rest their foreheads together.

* * *

Katsuki does his best not to dwell on the tightness in his chest over the rest of the week. For the most part, he's kept too busy to think overly hard, between practice and interviews and recording more stupid bits (the aspect of the show he's going to miss the very least), and he's grateful not to have to confront the ever growing ache inside him properly. A couple of times, like when she told him she'd miss him, he's come close to saying something to Ochako, or messaging her or calling at stupid hours of the night, but every time he talks himself out of it, going back to his usual silence and focusing on the task at hand. If he lets all of this get the better of him, it could cost them the win, and _fuck_ _right off_ if he's going to let that happen.

He refocuses every morning, every day, keeping his attention firmly on the competition and practising the steps unendingly until they're second nature to him. Eventually the steps are no longer the main focus and he thinks hard about performing, about enjoying the routines, about his facial expression and emotional intent. It all works well for him... until Friday.

He's just been fitted for his showdance outfit and is leaving to go find Ochako to grab some lunch and then get back to rehearsing when he nearly walks into Eijirou.

"Hey bro," Eijirou greets him with a grin, falling into step beside him. "You got clothes for tomorrow?"

Katsuki nods, thinking of the outfit he just had fitted: a spangly spandex version of his hero costume. "Yeah it looks pretty cool."

"That's good," says Eijirou. He pauses briefly before adding, "Are you busy right now?"

"Uh..." A strange dropping feeling comes to Katsuki's stomach and he swallows. "No, I was just going to look for Ochako."

Eijirou nods. "I won't keep you long," he says, stepping into a side corridor and waiting for Katsuki to follow. "I just wanted to talk to you about her."

"What about her?" Katsuki's heart gives an odd thump like it missed a step going downstairs.

Eijirou looks into Katsuki's face, a strange look passing across his eyes before he asks, "What are your intentions towards Ochako?"

Katsuki's mouth drops open as he looks at Eijirou. Is he pulling some kind of protective dad thing on him? "I... What?"

"What are your plans once the show is over?" Eijirou asks, his expression caught somewhere between seriousness and his usual pleasant smile, settling somewhere in the region of gentle concern. "You guys have been carrying on through all this and you know I'm all up for you doing so but what about once it all ends?"

"Uh..." Katsuki's stomach lurches painfully. "I... I don't know."

"What do you want to do once the show is over?"

Katsuki shifts his weight from one foot to another, the impact of the direct question discomforting him when he's spent all week so far avoiding it. "Well I... don't—"

"You can tell me," says Eijirou, giving Katsuki one of his kind smiles. "I give you my word as a man that I'm not going to tell anyone anything."

Katsuki swallows, knowing Eijirou isn't lying. "I really don't know."

"Okay... well, how do you feel about Ochako?"

"She's... I really... She's amazing."

Eijirou grins. "She is."

"But..." Katsuki frowns, finally letting himself voice the thoughts he's been trying not to think over the last few weeks. "What I want seems... hard."

"What do you want?"

"I... I don't want to lose her," Katsuki says, his face hot at the admission. "I really like her and I feel like... like maybe it could be something good if we tried."

Eijirou nods. "What's the problem then?"

"Well..." Katsuki gulps again. "I have to go back to Japan and... well, she'll still be here."

"You know long distance relationships are a thing right?"

"No duh," says Katsuki with a roll of his eyes. "What if it doesn't work out?"

"Don't know until you try right?" asks Eijirou. "Are you willing to put in the time to make it work?"

"Yeah," says Katsuki without a hint of hesitation. "But what about Ochako?"

Eijirou gives a soft little laugh. "Have you talked to her about this?"

Another flush creeps up Katsuki's neck. "No."

"You should," says Eijirou. He looks briefly like he might be about to add something else but then Mina appears from around the corner.

"Eiji there you are!" she greets him. "We need you to come finish blocking your part in the group routine."

"I'll be right there," says Eijirou, giving Katsuki one more smile. "Just think about it, yeah?"

He leaves with Mina and Katsuki gazes after them both, his thoughts a jumble. Should he just bite the bullet and talk to Ochako? With a sigh, Katsuki shakes his head to himself. He can't think about this right now: he has a competition to win.

* * *

The following day, Katsuki's body feels oddly light and a little jittery, like he's had one too many coffees and can't process the caffeine. The quiet solitude of his morning routine feels like the calm before a storm, his stomach roiling as he eats his breakfast and waits for the car from the studio. The routines play on repeat in his head, the steps and spins and lifts and tricks flowing together over and over; by the time he gets to the studio he can't keep one of his feet from tapping constantly, barely realising that he's doing it.

Everyone else seems to be in the same hyped up state as him, excited with an undercurrent of nerves, and utterly hectic. Katsuki finds himself moving from person to person and room to room with conversations happening around him more than with him. The words don't really register with him as he wanders through the studio in search of Ochako. He greets people as he passes by them but doesn't stay for long, eventually getting to the main ballroom itself and feeling his heart give a funny little hiccup when he sees her sitting on the edge of the ballroom floor with Eijirou and Mina. As Katsuki hesitates before approaching, he meets Eijirou's eye and Eijirou smiles at him before nudging Ochako and gesturing to Katsuki.

When she looks over her shoulder and gives him a wide grin, Katsuki's stomach flips over and he prays that it doesn't show on his face. Instead, he heads over to greet them, nodding to Eijirou and Mina and putting an arm around Ochako's shoulders as she stands up to hug him.

"Morning," he says, squeezing her shoulder slightly with one hand, thankful that Eijirou and Mina lapse back into their own conversation and he can talk to Ochako a little more directly. "You excited?"

"Obviously," says Ochako, her eyes bright and cheeks flushed. "Today's the day we win this thing."

Katsuki can't keep in a grin at that. "Fucking right."

"Glad you're still feeling really confident," smiles Ochako before casting a quick glance at Eijirou and Mina. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Katsuki feels the bottom drop out of his stomach—what could she want to talk to him about?—but he follows her to one side of the ballroom floor, out of earshot of the others. "Sure, what's up?"

A flush rises in her cheeks. "It's... nothing really, just—"

"Ochako, you're needed in Wardrobe!"

Ochako pauses, mouth still open, and turns to look over her shoulder at the runner who just called to her. A small dark cloud seems to pass over her but then she sighs.

"I'll be there in a sec!" she says, turning back to Katsuki properly and giving him a sheepish smile. "Sorry, looks like we'll have to talk later."

"It's okay," says Katsuki, feeling her squeeze his hand before she heads to Wardrobe.

Watching her go, Katsuki's throat fills and he swallows around the fullness. What was she about to say? His heart pummels against his ribcage like a butterfly under glass, even as people continue to pass by him and rush to and fro. She said it was 'nothing' but did she actually mean nothing or did she just say it in her hurry to go?

"God fucking dammit," Katsuki mutters to himself, shaking his head. Once again, he tells himself, he's going to have to think about this later.

* * *

The day flies by: before any of them know it, it's time for the show to start. Katsuki gets into position for the opening number with Ochako beside him, giving her a savage smile when she flashes him a grin.

"You ready?" she asks.

"Born ready," replies Katsuki.

As he gazes at Ochako, taking in the sight of her sequinned gold dress and the pink flush in her cheeks, Katsuki wants nothing more than to bend down and kiss her, never mind that they're literally about to be on millions of TV screens up and down the country. Instead, he squeezes her hands, listening to the calls of runners and techies, and puts on his game face.

Time to kick ass.

* * *

Every dance feels both long and much too short, drawn out but constricted; even as Katsuki tries to enjoy and savour every moment of the final show, burning the memory into himself like a brand, he feels it all slipping away from him. Even when they're not dancing, he and Ochako are constantly busy, changing or sitting in hair and make up, running around backstage to make it to their next mark or otherwise engaged.

Their showdance gets exactly the reaction the pair of them wanted: the routine casts them both as pro heroes fighting against unseen villains and they've filled it with as many tricks and lifts as they can, along with unabashed use of both their quirks. By the time they get to the end, they're both panting, exhaustion trying to take root in their bones, but Katsuki can't hold back a loud shout of delight, punching the air as they share an exhilarated hug. The judges marvel at the energy the two of them sustained right to the end of the routine as well as the creativity of the choreography. When they head upstairs, Katsuki and Ochako get a 40 for the dance, and the ache in Katsuki's muscles is worth it for the shining smile on Ochako's face.

Along with the 40 they also scored for the paso earlier in the evening, by the time they go into the rumba they're sitting at the top of the leader board. As they get ready to start the dance and the VT plays for everyone in the audience at the studio and in their homes, Ochako squeezes Katsuki's hand.

"You okay?" he asks.

Ochako nods. "Yeah, just... it's the last dance, and I wanted to tell you I'm really proud of you."

Katsuki's insides liquefy, melting at the look on her face and her words. "I've really enjoyed it."

"So have I," she says. "This has been amazing." She looks contemplative, as though weighing her words, before adding, "Just enjoy this last dance. I know you know it and so do you, so just relax into it."

"I will," Katsuki promises as they're called to their marks and head out onto the floor. There's more he wants to say, more he wants to do, but he can hear the band counting in the start of the song, and so he gets into his starting stance.

By the end of the routine, when they're in the middle of the floor, breaths mingling between their close together lips, Katsuki can barely hear the cheers and applause around them for the mad, excited laughter bubbling up from inside him.

"Well done," Ochako says softly, a wide grin on her face. "You did so well."

"Yeah?" he asks, beaming too.

"Yeah, that's the best it's ever gone," she enthuses.

Words fizz up inside Katsuki, keen to escape, but they can't linger here any longer. Instead, he goes with her to their mark by Tess to await the judges' comments. All are positive, praising his attention to detail and the confidence in his movements, along with the connection between them on the floor. When they go to the green room and get another score of 40 for their rumba, Katsuki has to hold onto Ochako tightly to stay upright. Three perfect 40s in one night!

The rest of the wait until the end of the show is maddening—Katsuki sits through music performances, a group dance of all the pro heroes and dancers who've already left the show, and seemingly endless talking about the results and how exciting it is. He can't deny that it _is_ exciting... or would be if he wasn't sitting right in the middle of it waiting to find out whether they've won or not. By the time they're standing on the ballroom floor again, waiting to find out who's won, the room seems charged, not just the air but the floor, the walls, every camera and light and person. Katsuki's heart is racing again, adrenaline flooding his body as he stands with Ochako. Everyone around them, contestants and audience alike, seems to hold their breath, all waiting for Tess to give the name of the winning couple.

"And the winners are..."

_Please_, Katsuki thinks. _Please, we worked so hard and she deserves this _so_ much_.

Ochako fidgets ever so slightly and he squeezes her shoulders, an instinct at this point.

_Ochako, whether we win or not I—_

"Katsuki and Ochako!"

The world comes to a silent stop as the words, the shape of them, the sound of them, finally hit Katsuki. For a moment, he stands stock still, not entirely believing his own hearing, but then sound explodes back into existence, cheers and applause and wordless shrieks and shouts deafening him. Everyone is around him, hugging him and jostling him and congratulating him, and Ochako's arms are tight around him, and his face is buried in her shoulder, and he doesn't even know what to say so he simply gives in to the impulse inside him and breaks into wild laughter.

* * *

Later, after the trophy and the victory dance and endless conversation and interviews with anyone and everyone and changing out of his dancing outfit, Katsuki looks at his watch and feels a jolt when he sees that it's nearly one o'clock in the morning. The studio is still a hive of activity, with crew and runners and techies already taking down the set to put into storage until the next series. When it comes, Katsuki knows he and Ochako will be invited back to perform at the launch show, as Mina and her previous partner did this year.

As if by magic, just when Katsuki finds himself starting to think about Ochako again, she comes out of a dressing room just ahead of him with Eijirou and Mina; his heart skips.

"Oi Cheeks!"

Ochako looks round, a smile breaking on her face as she sees him. Before Katsuki can say or do anything, before either Eijirou or Mina can say or do anything, Ochako races towards him, jumping up with her quirk to aid her and throwing her arms around his neck as she kisses him full on the mouth. The kiss is over quickly and as she pulls back again, still floating, she grins.

"Well done," she says softly, hands still tucked behind his head. Katsuki can't help but smile back.

"Oh my god!"

Katsuki looks past Ochako and she looks over her shoulder to see Mina's jaw practically on the floor, while Eijirou is grinning, clearly delighted.

"You two?! When? How?" Mina sputters, looking between their faces before turning to Eijirou. "Did you know about this?!"

Eijirou laughs. "Maybe."

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"I promised I wouldn't," says Eijirou, exchanging a look with Ochako as Mina thumps him on the shoulder.

"Shall we go?" Ochako asks Katsuki as Mina starts laying into Eijirou.

Katsuki nods. "Yeah, we should... probably talk."

The two of them leave together, the sounds of Mina's shrieking and her thwacking Eijirou's shoulders following them down the corridor until they're out of the building.

* * *

Back at Ochako's, Katsuki toes his shoes off as she hangs up his coat. The quiet of the flat feels strange to Katsuki after being in the studio, surrounded by noise and lights and people, and the pounding of his heart feels stronger and more frantic here. Following Ochako to the living room, Katsuki sits down with her on the sofa, wrapping her in his arms when she leans against him.

"Well done," she says with a grin, resting her cheek against his chest. "I'm so proud of you."

"You should be proud of yourself," he replies. "No one else would have been able to get me to do any of this."

"Well the potential was always there," she says. "I just pulled it out of you."

Katsuki pulls her close, kissing her forehead. "Still, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Ochako turns her head, pushing herself up so she can kiss him on the mouth, moving her lips against his before pulling back with another little smile.

"We might not be interrupted now," she says thoughtfully, "if you can still put aside some time to talk?"

"I think I can," says Katsuki, nerves chewing on his stomach again as he remembers their non-conversation before the show earlier today.

"Well..." Ochako pauses, apparently thinking through her words. "What are your plans now that the show's over?"

Katsuki shrugs. "Well I guess there's some PR stuff to do here but I'll be going back to Japan at some point."

"Yeah, I figured," Ochako says. She bites her bottom lip for a moment before asking, "So where does that leave us?"

Katsuki's heart picks up speed under his jumper. "Us?"

"Yeah," she says, meeting his gaze, a hint of uncertainty in the set of her mouth. As he watches her, she seems to grasp some resolve and says, "I don't want to lose you and never see you again, and I'm pretty sure you don't either."

"I don't," Katsuki says, keen to make sure she understands. "I don't want that either."

Her smile returns, smaller but relieved. "No?"

"No," he says earnestly. "I can't imagine not seeing you again. Truth is, I..."

The next word sounds in his mind and the gravity of it stops him, pulls him back into himself. Why is it so hard to get out?

"You what?" Ochako's eyes are wide and curious; Katsuki knows he can't not tell her. He sighs, steeling himself.

"I... I love you."

Ochako's mouth drops open—for a brief moment Katsuki wonders if he's completely blown it, but then she kisses him again, arms around his neck to pull him close. He kisses her back, hands on her waist roaming up her back, one of them tangling in her hair as she takes his tongue into her mouth. Katsuki's mind races, swept up in the moment of her in his arms and soft, sweet lips on his own, but soon they part again and she grins.

"I love you too," she says, voice quiet but earnest, and her smile breathtaking. "I wanted to tell you earlier but I didn't know how."

"Me too," says Katsuki. His heart is quickening again; if being around her always affects him like this he might have to start taking some kind of medication. "I didn't want to leave without telling you."

"Well now you won't have to." Ochako climbs more firmly into his lap, stealing more kisses and still grinning. "And you can't leave just yet—like you said you'll have a victory lap to do as the winner."

The win comes back to Katsuki again and he grins in satisfaction. "Exactly, and I get to do it with you by my side."

"There'll probably be a lot of travelling up and down the UK," she adds, hands trailing down his chest and stomach. "Lots of overnight stays and time together."

"Sounds fucking great." Katsuki grips her hips in both hands, marvelling at how warm her skin is under her jeans. "Time together with my sexy girl."

Ochako giggles softly. "Yours?"

"If you'd like to be."

With a nod and an ecstatic smile, Ochako closes the distance between the two of them again with yet another kiss. It feels different to kiss her now, in light of their confessions to one another: he can hear and taste and feel every little hitch of her breath, attuned to her much more closely than before. She too seems more responsive, her back arching further and hands grasping at him tighter. Their kisses turn hastier, hands slipping up under each other's clothes and starting to cast them aside. When Katsuki takes off Ochako's bra and palms her breasts in both hands, she lets out a soft little moan and tugs harder on his hair.

"Bed?" she asks between kisses.

"Definitely," Katsuki replies.

Slowly they get to their feet, kisses still going back and forth, and stumble their way to Ochako's bedroom. There, Katsuki sinks down onto the bed with her, hurriedly helping her undo her jeans. As he pulls them and her underwear off and settles between her legs, she gives him another smile, cupping his face in both her hands.

"I love you," she says again, sending a thrill up Katsuki's spine at hearing those words once more. He runs one hand down her chest and stomach, eventually lightly tracing one finger between her legs, making her gasp softly as he finds her clit. "Katsuki!"

Katsuki grins. "I love you too."

Continuing to tease her clit, Katsuki lowers his head, catching one of her nipples in his mouth. She moans softly, tangling her fingers in his hair as his tongue flicks over her skin, and he drinks in the sound, loving the breathlessness behind it. When he slips two fingers into her cunt, she shudders, whining in the back of her throat. He relinquishes her nipple, leaving more kisses to her chest.

"You're so beautiful," he breathes over her skin, circling her other nipple with his tongue to make her moan all over again.

"Katsuki," she says again, voice catching on his name. "Fuck, feels so good."

Her stomach muscles twitch under more of his kisses as he continues his way down her body, wanting to worship every little bit of her. When he starts leaving kisses and licks to her clit, fingers still moving in and out of her, she lets out a tremulous whimper, body jolting into his touch. He knows he would happily stay here until he makes her come, but soon feels her tugging on his hair, lifting his head up.

"You okay?" he asks, licking his lips and getting a nod in response.

"I want you," she says with a little blaze in her eyes.

Katsuki comes back up to kiss her, lifting one of her knees to his hip and sliding inside her. The moan she lets out in response seems to go right through him, shivering down his spine as he feels his hips meet her thighs.

"Oh fuck," Ochako sighs against his lips, her voice thin and aching.

"I know," Katsuki rasps back, squeezing her thigh with one hand as he starts rolling his hips, thrusting shallowly to begin with.

Ochako lets out more pleasured sounds, more moans of his name as he starts to build up speed. "Harder," she groans, practically yelping when he obeys. "Oh god Katsuki!"

Her cunt tightens around him, making Katsuki growl against her neck. "Fuck, you enjoying yourself?"

She lets out a weak little laugh, nails raking over his back. "Was it that obvious?"

Katsuki grins wolfishly. "God you're gorgeous."

"You too, I love you."

"I love you too."

Katsuki kisses her again, slipping one hand between them to circle her clit with her thumb and she rewards him with another little moan into his mouth as she wraps her arms around his neck. It doesn't take much longer before her thighs tremble either side of his hips in warning and she comes, breaking the kiss to cry out. He keeps moving his fingers over her clit to help her ride out the wave of pleasure, following suit and coming too with a gasp of her name and uncontrollable thrusts of his hips. Slowly they come down from the high together, trading more kisses and giddy smiles.

"You okay?" Katsuki asks. His voice sounds strange to him, a little light and far away.

She grins again, letting out a breathless laugh. "I'm great."

Katsuki brushes her hair back from her face, pulling out and lying down beside her. A tired little sigh leaves her lips as she rolls into him, cuddling into his side. He wraps his arm around her, kissing her on the forehead.

"I'll be honest," he says, voice slow and sated, "I'm not sure where we're going to go from here but... well, I want to try and make it work."

Ochako nods, fingers tracing his pecs. "I do too," she says. "I'm glad we've got a little while to try and figure it out together though."

"Yeah," agrees Katsuki. He pauses thoughtfully before thinking of something. "So... now that Mina knows, how long do you think we have before everyone else does too?"

Ochako laughs softly. "Possibly not long, it kind of depends if Eiji's managed to keep her quiet and whether she waits until tomorrow..." She pauses before shrugging. "Though technically it's already tomorrow."

Katsuki checks his phone for the time. "Half two," he says with a half surprised chuckle.

"Whoops," Ochako giggles. "So possibly only a few more hours if she hasn't already told people."

Katsuki pulls her close, kissing her on the forehead again and letting out a soft grumble. "Should we try and sleep or make the most of the time before the hurricane hits?"

Ochako hums thoughtfully. "We could stay here for a while and enjoy the eye of the storm?"

He feels her lift her head and looks down to meet her gaze. Her eyes are warm and bright, full of care and excitement; Katsuki feels his heart full of her and so much more love than he could ever have imagined feeling for anyone before. His pulse races so fast his body seems to tremble and he leans in to steal yet another kiss to try and ground himself again.

"I can't think of anything better," he says.


End file.
